Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project: The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL), the company that is executing India’s first bullet train project has sought the nomination of officers, who could be sent to Japan to prepare for certifications required for the high-speed rail project. In India, new rail tracks and trains are certified by the Commission of Railway Safety (CRS). However, CRS has no experience of certifying bullet trains and tracks. Due to this reason, officials are being sent to Japan, which is backing India’s Bullet Train project.
NHSRCL Managing Director Achal Khare was quoted in an HT report saying that before offering trains and tracks for inspection to CRS, a trial run will be conducted. The aviation and railway ministries have also been requested to constitute a team so that in future there are resources to certify bullet train operations. Already, two CRS officials have been sent to Japan, he said.
According to Khare, NHSRCL has requested for the formation of a dedicated CRS team as it will require training. Before the commencement of regular bullet train operations, the NHSRCL also has plans to run a confirmation car daily. Since the bullet trains will run at a very high speed, a confirmation car from both directions will help the corporation in identifying if there are any foreign objects on the rail tracks. NHSRCL will have eight to 10 confirmation cars for this purpose, he added.
Meanwhile, India is jointly working with Japan to make certain technical changes to the bullet trains so that the high-speed trains can handle extreme heat and high levels of pollution. According to NHSRCL, the bullet trains of India will have to be customized so that they do not break down due to heat and dust. The Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail project is scheduled for completion by 2023. However, the corporation expects to open one portion of the bullet train network by 2022 and complete the entire corridor by the end of 2023.
