DELHI (Metro Rail News): According to the railway official, the upcoming Ahmedabad–Dholera semi high-speed rail corridor in Gujarat will cost much less than the Delhi-Meerut Namo Bharat corridor. Interestingly, trains on the Gujarat route will run at higher speeds. Earlier this month, the Union Cabinet approved the 134-km Sarkhej–Dholera semi high-speed double rail line at an estimated cost of Rs 20,667 crore. The project will become Indian Railways’ first semi high-speed rail corridor.
Project will support 220 kmph speed
Railway officials said the Ahmedabad–Dholera corridor will support train speeds up to 220 kmph. Trains will run at an operational speed of 200 kmph. The project will cost around Rs 154 crore per kilometre. In comparison:
- Delhi-Meerut RRTS costs around Rs 336 crore per kilometre
- Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train costs around Rs 358 crore per kilometre
Officials said the Gujarat project offers higher speed than the Delhi-Meerut RRTS but still costs less than half.
It will use broad gauge track
The Ahmedabad–Dholera corridor will run on the 1676 mm broad gauge system used by Indian Railways. Meanwhile:
- Delhi-Meerut RRTS uses 1435 mm standard gauge
- Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train also uses standard gauge
Railway officials explained that a normal railway line capable of handling speeds up to 160 kmph on broad gauge usually costs around Rs 50 crore per kilometre, excluding trains and rolling stock. The Ahmedabad-Dholera line costs more because it needs infrastructure for much higher speeds.
Why the project costs less
Officials said several factors helped reduce the overall project cost. Main Reasons are,
- No tunnel construction
- Lower land acquisition cost
- Use of India’s Kavach safety system
- Cheaper signalling technology
The Delhi-Meerut RRTS uses the European Train Control System (ETCS) Level-II technology. Officials said this signalling system costs around Rs 17.74 crore per kilometre. In comparison, the indigenous Kavach train protection system costs around Rs 4.53 crore per kilometre. Officials said this difference plays a major role in lowering the total project cost.
71 Km stretch to run on viaducts
According to the current plan, around 71 km of the 134-km corridor will run on viaducts. The corridor will connect Ahmedabad with Dholera Special Investment Region (SIR), the upcoming Dholera airport and the Lothal National Maritime Heritage Complex. Railway officials believe that the project could become a model for future semi high-speed rail corridors in India. If the project succeeds, it could become a model for building faster rail networks at a much lower cost than bullet trains or rapid rail systems.
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