NHSRC expedites work on 435-km long bullet train project
The final contract to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for the 435-km long Chennai-Bengaluru-Mysuru high-speed rail line has been fast-tracked. The company is developing line alignment drawings where the line crosses rivers, canals, bridges, roads, railway lines, highways, and other similar facilities, as well as a basic drawing of the stations. The contract is the seventh and last step in preparing a DPR where on standard gauge lines, trains will travel at 300 kmph-320 kmph. Once ready, it will take only one and a half hours to travel between the three cities as currently, Shatabdi Express travels the trip in seven hours. Two lines are being installed along a walled corridor that is 50 to 60 meters long. Even though a final alignment map is being prepared, a separate contract has been awarded to a company to map only the terrain where the line must cross rivers, smaller water bodies, and other obstacles because the rules require a thorough study, which includes up to two km on either side of the line in the case of rivers. Because of the high speed, the terrain and its character surrounding the line, stations, and depots must be investigated before the alignment and stations can be planned. The National High-Speed Rail Corporation Ltd. (NHSRCL) chose nine stations in the state a year ago, including Chennai, Poonamallee, and Arakkonam, and awarded contracts for final alignment design, environmental impact assessment, and environmental management plan early this year. The final alignment is being prepared using LiDAR technology, which allows for the mapping of the landscape, including rivers and minor water bodies, in three to four months rather than nearly a year, because the terrain will be mapped using an aircraft equipped with sensors.
