Mumbai-Ahmedabad Route Trains to Operate At 160 Kmph From August 15

Mumbai: From August 15, trains such as Vande Bharat, Shatabdi, IRCTC Tejas, Double Decker, and Delhi-Mumbai Rajdhani will boost their speed from 130kmph to 160kmph on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route.

The trains will move at 160kmph between Virar and Surat, then to Ahmedabad. The speed limit will be 100kmph from Mumbai Central to Borivali and 110kmph between Borivali and Virar. The Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) will perform inspections in July to authorise the speed upgrade, which is required prior to implementation.

Areas Of Improvement

To attain faster speed, substantial track repairs, overhead wiring improvements, and the installation of Kavach technology were completed. The Railway Board has directed divisional railway managers to complete any outstanding tasks by June 30, including mandatory track blocks.

So far, key infrastructure enhancements have included barricade barriers along 565km of track, track renovations, signalling improvements on 126 railway bridges, and overhead wire installations. Furthermore, the deployment of Kavach technology and higher sleeper density aim to overcome the speed-related issues.

The renovations are intended to reduce passenger journey times. For example, the Vande Bharat Express, which currently takes 5.25 hours, will run 4.40 hours at 160kmph. Similarly, the Shatabdi Express will reduce travel time from 5.50 to 4.50 hours, the IRCTC Tejas Express from 6.25 to 5.50 hours, the Double Decker from 6.55 to 6.15 hours, and the Mumbai-Delhi Rajdhani from 15.32 to 12 hours.