CHENNAI, INDIA (Metro Rail News): The final contract to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for the 435-kilometer Chennai-Bengaluru-Mysuru high-speed rail line project appears to be progressing quickly. The company will develop line alignment drawings where the line crosses rivers, canals, bridges, roads, railway lines, highways, and other similar facilities, as well as a basic drawing of the stations. Work on completing a thorough alignment mapping is currently underway. The contract is the seventh and last step in preparing a DPR.
On standard gauge lines, trains will travel at 300 kmph-320 kmph if everything goes according to plan and the route is open. It will take only one and a half hours to travel between the three cities. Shatabdi Express currently travels the trip in seven hours.
Two lines will need to be installed along a walled corridor that is 50 to 60 meters long. Even though a final alignment map is being prepared, a separate contract has been awarded to a company to map only the terrain where the line must cross rivers, smaller water bodies, and other obstacles because the rules require a thorough study, which includes up to two kilometers on either side of the line in the case of rivers.
Because of the high speed, the terrain and its character surrounding the line, stations, and depots must be investigated before the alignment and stations can be planned, according to a railway official. The National High-Speed Rail Corporation Ltd. (NHSRCL) chose nine stations in the state a year ago, including Chennai, Poonamallee, and Arakkonam, and awarded contracts for final alignment design, environmental impact assessment, and environmental management plan early this year.
The final alignment is being prepared using LiDAR technology, which allows for the mapping of the landscape, including rivers and minor water bodies, in three to four months rather than nearly a year, because the terrain will be mapped using an aircraft equipped with sensors. The NHSRCL will float tenders for civil work after the DPR and environmental impact study are finished, according to an official.
The high-speed line is scheduled to open in 2051, according to the National Rail Plan. The Chennai-Mysuru line is one of six proposed corridors, which also include Mumbai-Ahmedabad and Delhi-Varanasi.
