Ayodhya to get Delhi-Varanasi bullet train connectivity

The Delhi-Varanasi bullet train corridor, for which the detailed project report (DPR) is in progress, will connect Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Ram. National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL), which is preparing the DPR, informed that the bullet train will also crisscross through other cities including Mathura, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Agra, Kanpur and Jewar airport as well. The 800 km long corridor will also connect Etawah, Lucknow, Raebareli and Bhadohi. The alignment will cover mixed terrains including densely populated urban and rural areas, highways, roads, ghats, rivers, green fields, which makes the project a more challenging task. The NHSRCL, which is also implementing the Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project, informed that it will deploy the Light Detection and Ranging Survey (LiDAR) technique using laser enabled equipment mounted on a helicopter for ground survey. So far, the LiDAR technology has been used in the highways sector for finalizing alignment and for ground survey to get the exact details on the ground in the quickest possible time. The technique uses a combination of laser data, GPS data, flight parameters and actual photographs to give accurate survey data and helps prepare better DPRs for highway projects and has helped zero down on the acquisition of the exact land patches for construction purposes. The technique was also adopted for the Mumbai- Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor primarily because of its high accuracy.