Chennai to Bangalore in 90 mins? Why not?

[Kalyan]

Chennai to Bangalore in 90 mins? Why not?

Reaching Chennai in 90 minutes could well be a reality. Lalu Prasad, in the interim railway budget, presented on Friday, has proposed six bullet trains, including three for the South. These will run along Bangalore-Chennai, Chennai-Bangalore-Kochi and Hyderabad-Vijayawada-Chennai lines.

Though the railway ministry is yet to complete a detailed feasibility study, the proposal has the business community excited.

Internationally, the standard speed of a bullet train is 300 kilometres per hour. In India, the introductory speed may be set at 200-250 kmph, considering the number of stops and level crossings. Currently, the Shatabdi between Delhi and Agra is the fastest train at 150 kmph.

    "Chennai-Bangalore distance is around 350 km. A bullet train covering the distance in 90 minutes will save a huge amount of travelling time," said Vijaya Kumaran, chief administrative officer (construction), Indian Railways.

    Railways divisional manager Akhil Agarwal said: "I recently attended a course on bullet train operations in Paris. It is a profit-making business globally. India can also make a success of it."

COST NO BAR?

The project is a costly affair Laying a kilometre of the normal rail line costs Rs 5 to 6 crore Development of a kilometre for the bullet train track will cost Rs 10 to 15 crore Elevated track will cost Rs 30 to 40 crore

MONEY, TIME SAVED

The fares will be 30-40% cheaper than air tickets As of now, buses and trains take 5-7 hours to cover the distance between Bangalore and Chennai. A bullet train, at 200-250 kmph, will cover the distance in 90 minutes Technical know-how from Germany, France and Japan will be used Flying is also timeconsuming. It takes at least 4 hours. So a bullet train makes a lot of sense —Mohanlal Menon,
a frequent traveller between Chennai and Bangalore.

source : times of india