Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to launch Vande Bharat Express trains on Mumbai-Solapur and Mumbai-Shirdi routes on February 10.
The Vande Bharat Express between Mumbai and Solapur is likely to run via the Bhor ghat (located between Karjat and Khandala on way to Pune) and is expected to cover a distance of around 400 km between the two places in 6.35 hours.
On the other hand, the Mumbai-Shirdi high-speed train is expected to run via the Thal ghat (in Kasara on Mumbai's outskirts) and cover a distance of around 340 km between them in 5.25 hours, they said.
As per reports, during a test run today on the Bhor Ghat towards Lonavala, the Vande Bharat Express train completed a distance of 37 km between Mulund and Badlapur in just 25 minutes.
Bhor and Thal ghats among the toughest to navigate
Both Bhor and Thal ghats are among the toughest railway ghat sections in the country, according to the officials.
The nearly 25-km-long Bhor ghat (also called Khandala ghat) is spread between Karjat and Khandala stations, while the 14-km-long Thal ghat (also known as Kasara ghat) is spread between Kasara and Igatpuri sections. Both the ghats have multiple tunnels and high via-ducts.
Bankers are used for pushing trains in ghat sections, besides avoiding incidents of train roll back in case of parting of coaches. But the process of attaching and detaching bankers takes at least a few minutes, increasing travel time due to technical halts, an official explained.
To do away with bankers in ghat sections, both Vande Bharat Express trains are fitted with parking brakes which will stop the train from rolling down on gradient.
