The 245-km Delhi-Chandigarh corridor, which is considered to be one of the busiest routes in North India, is slated to be the first semi-high speed project. This is a venture by Indian Railways to run trains at a maximum speed of 200 kmph with French aid.
French railway (SNCF) has submitted a detailed report which will be taken up for finalisation by Indian Railways on Monday for preparing tendering documents and drawing out an action plan as a way forward. French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to visit India in January 2018 when the project will be formally launched.
The total travel time between the two cities is expected to be reduced to 2 hours and 2 minutes with two stops, one at Panipat and another at Ambala, says the report. Currently, the Shatabdi Express covers the distance between the two cities in about 3 hours and 30 minutes travelling at a maximum speed of 110 kmph.
Indian Railways also plans to upgrade 4000 km of networks across seven routes, which include Mumbai-Goa, Chennai-Hyderabad, Mysore-Chennai, and Delhi-Kanpur.
