Press Release! Feasibility Study of High Speed Trains to be run by Indian Railways

The first sector identified for introduction of High Speed trains/bullet trains in the country is Mumbai-Ahmedabad. For this sector, two studies, one - a joint feasibility study, co-financed by India and Japan and another - a business development study by French Railways (SNCF) have been undertaken. Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has submitted first interim report in July 2014 and Second interim report was submitted in November 2014. SNCF has submitted the report in September, 2014. 

Government is undertaking a feasibility study for Diamond Quadrilateral Network of High Speed trains comprising of four sides i.e. (i) Delhi-Mumbai, (ii) Mumbai-Chennai, (iii) Chennai-Kolkata, (iv) Kolkata-Delhi and both diagonals i.e. (v) Delhi-Chennai and (vi) Mumbai-Kolkata. The total length of network will be approx. 10,000 km. Delhi-Chennai section has been identified for feasibility study in cooperation with Govt. of China. 

Other sections where pre-feasibility studies for high speed rail have been completed / in progress are as below:-

(i)Delhi-Agra-Lucknow-Varanasi -Patna – 991 km, (ii) Howrah-Haldia – 135 km, (iii) Hyderabad-Dornakal-Vijaywada -Chennai – 664 km , (iv) Chennai-Bangalore-Coimbatore-Ernakulam-Thiruvananthapuram – 850 km, (v) Delhi-Chandigarh-Amritsar- 450 km & (vi) Delhi-Jaipur-Ajmer-Jodhpur - 591 km. 

This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Manoj Sinha in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.