Indian railways, with its track line of 65,000 kilometers and operating 19,000 trains a day has turned out to be a key means of transport in India for longer distances. Introduction of high speed rails can take the might of railways to a next level. It can do a great favor to passengers, railways and is also to environment. These trains have speeds of about 300 kmph and can often cross the speed limit of 450 kmph. The countries which have well developed networks of HSR have witnessed a significant impact on various commercial aspects. Let’s have a deeper insight into these trains.
Opportunities and Hurdles:
Taking example of Japan, it has to face various financial, cultural and technological hurdles to make the bullet trains a reality. There are a lot of things, which India can learn from the experiences of Japan in this context.
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Financial:
“How much is it going to cost us..?” This is a common question which strikes everyone. Though it can’t be stated firmly, we can say that it requires huge fixed capital to get started. Comparing the costs of various HSR nations can give us a better picture of this aspect.
- Technology: The Indian railways have to make use of advanced technology to lay new tracks, establish signaling systems, bring in new engines, design and manufacture electrical systems and compartments. Unlike the orthodox railways, these trains are to be completely isolated from the external environment. This is because the high speed trains can pull the people or cattle into it resulting in disasters.
- Energy: These trains run on electricity. There are many advantages of using electrical energy and the one which worth mentioning is the low consumption of energy. Unlike other automobiles and aero planes, renewable energy sources can be used to power up these trains. One can easily estimate the operational cost and monitor carbon foot print.
Advantages of High Speed Trains:
Energy efficient: Travel by rail is always the best means of transport for long distance travelling in dense areas or in places where the fuel cost is relatively high. High speed trains have proved to be highly fuels efficient per passenger per kilometer. In comparison to other vehicles of this kind, they can transport large number of passengers in a quick time.
Safety: These trains can be handled and controlled with ease. Its predictable course is the reason behind it. It is to be noted that the high speed rails can’t eliminate collisions but its chances can be minimized.
Convenience: These trains can fetch appreciable comfort to the passengers as they can move freely in the train while travelling. The change in weather has least effect on the train travel in this context. Major storms, heavy snow or fog can cause significant effect to these train travels. The vibrations are minimized by the continuously welded rails.
As the first step towards high speed rails, eight routes were identified across various parts of the country, which consists of major cities like Pune, Mumbai, Delhi, Agra, Chennai, Hyderabad, etc. On completion of this project, you can experience this amazing journey by tracking the current train status of these high speed trains in the official website of Indian railways.