Indian Railways Thread (Dec 2015)

[uddu]

From Chenab Arch Bridge to Bullet Train Projects: Engineering Bharat’s Future
Prime Minister ‪@NarendraModi‬ ji’s vision of Viksit Bharat sets the bar higher and higher, inspiring us to take the next big leap in India’s infrastructure. This vision is being realized through transformative projects and reforms that redefine connectivity, quality, and pride in nation-building.

Key Highlights:
Engineering Pride: Chenab Arch Bridge & Himalayan tunneling prove India can solve the toughest challenges.
High-Speed Corridors: 7000 km bullet train projects will be integrating cities, economies, and tourism.
South Indian Diamond: Chennai–Bengaluru in 73 minutes, Bengaluru–Hyderabad in 2 hours.
Northern Corridor: Delhi–Varanasi–Patna–Siliguri, boosting industry and spiritual tourism.
Reforms & Skills: Collaborative contracts, certified workers, and strict quality standards.
Future Engineers: Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya aligned with global leaders like Airbus, Siemens, Alstom, Deutsche Bahn, Safran.

[vsunder]

An inspection was conducted on the Up line from Vaitarna to JNPT on the WDFC by an inspection car. The down line is still seen incomplete at places like the Kalamboli rail flyover where the WDFC goes over the CR tracks. The downline girder of 91m was launched over a traffic and power break over Jan 26th, 2026 nght. Stabilization of the girder and setting it on the bearings has to be done first and then track linking over it and finally wiring. Rail Mantri has announced March 31, 2026 as the deadline for the completion of the WDFC. The Up line will carry freight from JNPT to Dadri so the inspection car is running opposite to the direction to which trains will eventually run. This 102km section handled by an inept Tata Construction was the stumbling block holding up progress on the WDFC.

Here are 3 recent videos. In the last two videos you can still see lots of work left for full completion especially on the down line Some of the DFCCIL videos and Rail Mantri announcements are just propaganda, he is a bonafide clown. In the day when people make videos this charlatan is easily caught.

https://youtu.be/D48gexkDilc

Notice as the train pulls out of Panvel, the DFC tracks are in a cut. Why? This is because DFC carries double stacked container freight. Many of the ROBs it encounters were built for single stacked container freight. To accommodate double stack container freight you could demolish the old ROB and build a new ROB at higher height. But this will end up increasing cost and also having to deal with a stupid state government regarding constructing the approach roads and the ROB itself which in the Udhav days was a nightmare. So DFCCIL at many places just cut a deeper road bed. So parallel IR tracks are higher. However this is a double edged sword. You are always at the mercy of the Mumbai monsoons and flooded tracks. I hope the drainage system is very good in these deep cuts to prevent flooding of WDFC tracks. However some ROBS could not be salvaged and were demolished and replaced with new ones which were 4 laned and higher to allow double stacked container freight to pass.

Notice too that the train nears Kalamboli you see the massive girders overhead, the first one carrying the upline over which the inspection was done put in place May 2025 and the second one not yet lowered on the bearings put in place Jan 2026 acrrying the downline of WDFC. So now there is a March 31, 2026 deadline, best of luck:


Notice too automatic signalling on WDFC with signals every 2 km apart so that many 1500m rakes can be put. WDFC has done away with absolute block signalling like IR which is natural, stations on WDFC are 40km apart and it is silly to have absolute blocks with such great distances between stations.



Vasai to Bhiwandi---Vasai to Kharbao 32km was done a while back. Only Kharbao to JNPT 70km was left, at least upline down.

https://youtu.be/VbrLTji3NUw

Panvel to Bhiwandi(lots to observe in this video)

https://youtu.be/hVNvqP3R8LI

This is how automatic signalling works on IR and more or less the color aspect must be the same on DFC but signals are 2km apart on DFC and not 120m as in video

https://youtu.be/N8iUDeNAOWM

[Mollick.R]

Rishikesh-Karnaprayag rail project likely to be completed by December 2028, says RVNL CMD

Written by: Anish Mondal
2 min read
Updated: Feb 19, 2026 03:14 PM IST

Rishikesh Karnaprayag rail project update: The Rishikesh-Karnaprayag railway project is expected to be completed within the next two years. Currently, the construction on this prestigious rail project is progressing at full swing. The project lies completely in Uttarakhand and passes through difficult geological and challenging terrain of Himalayas. On completion, the Rishikesh-Karnaprayag rail link project will transform connectivity in the hilly state.


Speaking during the Q3FY26 Earnings Conference Call, Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) Chairman and Managing Director Saleem Ahmad said that work is going on full swing on the project. “…important project is Rishikesh-Karnaprayag, where work is going on full swing, and our target which is to achieve the completion of the project in December 2028. And we are progressing very well in that project also,” the RVNL CMD said.

In a written statement in Lok Sabha during the Parliament Budget session 2026, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the Rishikesh-Karnaprayag new rail line project passes through Dehradun, Tehri Garhwal, Pauri Garhwal, Rudrapryag and Chamoli Districts of Uttarakhand. He stated that the project will provide rail connectivity to Devprayag and Karnaprayag religious and tourist spots with Rishikesh and National Capital of India.


“To provide rail connectivity to Chardham, Rishikesh-Karnaprayag new rail line project (125 km) has been sanctioned. The alignment of the project predominantly passes through tunnels. The project involves construction of 16 Main line tunnels of 104 km length and 12 Escape tunnels of about 98 km length. So far, Main line tunnels of 99 km length and 09 Escape Tunnels of over 94 km length have been completed.

To increase progress of works, 08 Adits in various tunnels were also identified. These adits created additional work faces of tunnel excavation expediting early completion of long tunnels. Works of all 8 Adits (5 km) have also been completed. The project also involves construction of 19 Important/Major Bridges. 8 out of 19 Important/Major Bridges have also been completed. Works in balance bridges have also been taken up,” he said.


Rishikesh-Karnaprayag Railway Line Project: Section-wise Progress
Source: Ministry of Railways
S.N. Section (Distance) Status
1 Virbhadra – Yog Nagari Rishikesh (4.7 km)
Tunnels:
Already completed and commissioned

2 Yog Nagari Rishikesh – Shivpuri (13.4 km)
Tunnels (10.8 km):
94% excavation completed; lining taken up
Major Bridges:
01 bridge completed

3 Shivpuri – Byasi (14.3 km)
Tunnels (12.7 km):
01 out of 02 tunnels completed; excavation of 2nd tunnel completed; lining taken up
Major Bridges:
Both 02 bridges completed

4 Byasi – Devprayag (15 km)
Tunnels (13.3 km):
03 out of 04 tunnels completed; 69% excavation of 4th tunnel completed; lining taken up
Major Bridges:
All 04 bridges completed

5 Devprayag – Janasu (14.8 km)
Tunnels (14.6 km):
Completed
6 Janasu – Maletha (4.7 km)
Tunnels (2.9 km):
Completed
Major Bridges:
01 bridge completed

7 Maletha – Srinagar (5.2 km)
Tunnels (4.1 km):
Completed

8 Srinagar – Dhari Devi (11.2 km)
Tunnels (9.1 km):
Excavation completed; lining taken up
Major Bridges:
01 out of 03 bridges completed; work for other 02 bridges taken up

9 Dhari Devi – Tilani (Rudraprayag) (17.6 km)
Tunnels (16.6 km):
Excavation completed; lining taken up
Major Bridges:
01 bridge work taken up

10 Tilani (Rudraprayag) – Gholtir (7.6 km)
Tunnels (6.6 km):
79% excavation completed
Major Bridges:
Work for both 02 bridges taken up

11 Gholtir – Gauchar (7.8 km)
Tunnels (7.1 km):
Excavation completed; lining taken up

12 Gauchar – Karnprayag (8.4 km)
Tunnels (6.3 km):
Excavation completed; lining taken up
Major Bridges:
Work for all 03 bridges taken up

Project Overview: The Rishikesh-Karnaprayag railway line spans 124.7 km across 12 sections with extensive tunnel construction (approximately 112.1 km of tunnels) and multiple major bridges. Several sections have achieved completion while others are in advanced stages of excavation and lining work


https://indianexpress.com/article/india ... 5283/lite/

[Sachin]

Notice too automatic signalling on WDFC with signals every 2 km apart so that many 1500m rakes can be put. WDFC has done away with absolute block signalling like IR which is natural, stations on WDFC are 40km apart and it is silly to have absolute blocks with such great distances between stations.

What is the alternate system they are using? Is it some thing like which the UK has? That is a Control Room/Control Centre from which all signals for 30-40kms (and even more) gets controlled from the same place? Instead of a Section Controller, instructing Station Masters en-route on what to do with each train (which is more prevalent in India)?

[vsunder]

Notice too automatic signalling on WDFC with signals every 2 km apart so that many 1500m rakes can be put. WDFC has done away with absolute block signalling like IR which is natural, stations on WDFC are 40km apart and it is silly to have absolute blocks with such great distances between stations.

What is the alternate system they are using? Is it some thing like which the UK has? That is a Control Room/Control Centre from which all signals for 30-40kms (and even more) gets controlled from the same place? Instead of a Section Controller, instructing Station Masters en-route on what to do with each train (which is more prevalent in India)?

The entire WDFC is controlled by ONE central facility at Sabarmati in Ahmedabad, all 1506 km of it It is a state of the art central control. The entire EDFC is controlled by ONE central control facility at Prayagraj. That is ALL 1339 km of it.

WDFC OCC(Operational Control center)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsNUkqfSKeA

EDFC OCC at Prayagraj
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDStisLlNqM

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/MbMbBGmLNzM

[vsunder]

^^^ Indian Railways has nothing comparable to what the DFCs have: a centralized OCC, Operational Control Center, except for two. A centralized control center at Tundla that controls 43 stations and 9 major yards on the 423 km Kanpur to Ghaziabad section on the Howrah Delhi line and a Centralized control center which handles all of Mumbai suburban network. Someone once posted a video of that OCC here which is similar to the one above with computer diaplays etc etc. I have been hearing that IR wants to have OCCs but it will take ages given the slow pace of reform and a hidebound railway board. For example as sectional speeds increase you will need OCCs and you will need OCCs to implement automatic signalling on trunk routes to increase line capacity especially on mixed routes where freight and passenger jostle for space and there are no DFCs for the moment like Chennai to Delhi. Or Chennai to Coimbatore.

Hitachi built the Tundla OCC. It even controls the massive Kanpur yard.

https://www.hitachi.com/en-in/insights/ ... assengers/

I do not know next time around if they select a new vendor for the next section, Kanpur to DDU(Deen Dayal Upadhyay Jn. formerly Mughalsarai Jn.) and if the equipment of the new vendor creates a conflict with Hitachi.

[Sachin]

I have been hearing that IR wants to have OCCs but it will take ages given the slow pace of reform and a hidebound railway board.

Could it be also because of the possible job loss concerns as well? Once OCC become the norm, many jobs likes station masters, cabin masters, pointsmen etc become obsolete. A few of the station master/section controller type positions will remain, but it would only be in smaller numbers. One thing I have observed in Southern Railway is the introduction of "Intermediate Block" in which the signalling done from a smaller way side station is done a way with, and bigger stations on both ends do the signalling work. The smaller station is retained, that is only for the benefit of passengers.

[vsunder]

Yes an entrenched union that refuses reform is part of the issue. Lack of trained operators another. A hidebound railway board another. On average proposals take 37 months to be acted on and then the tendering system is another hurdle. Mumbai to Surat is now under an OCC with Kavach integrated into it. There was a proposal to bring Bhopal to Itarsi and Nagpur under an OCC now that third line is complete between Bhopal and Itarsi through ghats and Nagpur to Itarsi large parts third lined. Likewise Gudur to Vijayawada is fully third lined now and plan was to run it with an OCC. I do not know what happened. There is some sort of Kavach control center at Bhusawal but this is not an OCC really. A huge part of the railway budget is eaten by pension, salaries and so on. Doing away with section controllers and so on will help a bit and increase efficiency and section capacity for sure/ more trains can be put in. Separating freight from passengers/ more DFCs will help immensely but the Railway Board does not like that as it eats into their main revenue freight. Passenger operations are a loser in India with an artificial low ticket rate structure which no Government wants to deal with. Freight pays for this artificially low passenger fare structure. It is an anachronism. Other inefficiencies then keep the Railways as a perpetual loss making organization. The Railway model which sees it making money through essentially Coal is outdated, it needs to pry an get into the container sector and remove movement of containers by road which is a highly inefficient and slow way and of course polluting. Railways are fully electrified but the speeds outside the DFC of 25 kmph average of freight atrocious. The DFCs have increased that to 70kmph average with guaranteed delivery to ports in Gujarat within 24 hrs after leaving Delhi NCR. Something similar will happen when JNPT is connected with about 100 rakes a day moving from JNPT instead of 25 at the moment. Faster evacuation of containers can only improve the logistics situation in India which currently is 13% of gdp nothwithstanding an inflated statement/statistics by Gadkari. Last but not least is the Gangetic thugland where every week you see on the twitter handle of DFCCIL twitter handle pics of 3-4 guys apprehended by RPF stealing axle counters, copper wire from UP and Rajasthan destroying track circuitry and sensors that keep the OCCs of the DFC running. If it is Mirzapur on the EDFC today then it is Etawah tomorrow. When some primitive forms of Kavach was installed in the 1970s on IR, the equipment was stolen trackside for their copper content on the Kanpur to Mughalsarai route very quickly bringing IR to its knees. Nothing has changed.

Having said that, the theft of copper worldwide has seen a huge upsurge and utilities primarily are grappling with this phenomenon worldwide.

[vsunder]

CRS has just taken place on the Murkongselek to Pasighat new railway line 26km in Arunachal Pradesh from Murkongselek to Sille 15km with an authorized speed of 110kmph.

https://assamtribune.com/assam/murkongs ... ch-1608197

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jhv0xLIZtIQ


The remaining 11km should be done by next year, target is Dec 2026 end this year. Pasighat was an ALG(Advanced Landing Ground) barely 100 km from the LAC. It played an important role in the 1962 war in NEFA as Arunachal Pradesh was then called. Two crashed Caribou used to be at Pasighat. Since then the Government has significantly upgraded Pasighat so that helicopters, C-130s and all fighters of the IAF can land at Pasighat and stage from there. Pasighat has also an ATC as part of the upgrade. So now comes this rail connectivity too.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasighat_Airport


https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/air-for ... er-1444974

Caribous, IAF had 20 and they were the C 130s of the day able to land on semi or under prepared airstrips.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Havill ... -4_Caribou

[vsunder]

Since some of you are asking me about Operational Control Centers on Indian Railways, DFCs have two already as I explained, I also said that Mumbai has an OCC for its suburban network and this has been extended on WR to Surat. It turns out that Rajendra Aklekar a journalist who specializes on rail related infra issues and is based in the Mumbai area, has written a report on how AI is being introduced (has been tendered) into the OCC operations in Mumbai. AS noted in the old days controllers had to call up stations via landline to find if a train has crossed a certain station.

Here is Aklekar's report

https://x.com/rajtoday/status/2025204708399530071

The full article in Mid Day

https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-n ... e-23617450

This is the Central Railway Control center.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/9BOF5ug4DUo

[Sachin]

I also said that Mumbai has an OCC for its suburban network and this has been extended on WR to Surat

Does'nt Chennai also have a OCC for its suburban network? My understanding is that it is based at Arakkonam (AJJ). Remember reading somewhere that, Madras Suburban train system is also now on complete automatic block working.

[vsunder]

I also said that Mumbai has an OCC for its suburban network and this has been extended on WR to Surat

Does'nt Chennai also have a OCC for its suburban network? My understanding is that it is based at Arakkonam (AJJ). Remember reading somewhere that, Madras Suburban train system is also now on complete automatic block working.

Yes there is some rudimentary centralized control. Chennai to Arakkonam was the first section on IR to install a TPWS(Train Protection and Warning System). IR adopted ETCS-I(Level 1) system between Chennai and Arakkonam in 2016. ETCS stands for European Train Control System. Thales won the contract in 2014 and they had to install the system and make it compatible with whatever primitive systems then were being used. The system was commissioned in 2016. This needs some centralized control already. The Rail Ministry then wanted to use ETCS systems and in particular Level II ETCS systems on the Delhi to Kota section as a trial to see if it can be adopted on the entire IR network. But then the government balked at the price demanded by the vendors. So then the search started to develop a local system. This is the origin of Kavach. Kavach was originally installed on Lingampalli-Vikarabad-Wadi and the Vikarabad-Bidar (250-km) section under SWR for preliminary trials in 2016 to work out kinks. These are absolute block sections under SCR and single line. Traffic density was not high and so the Railways could work out the kinks before installing such systems to the trunk routes.

Nevertheless there are vendors like Hitachi ^^^(see my earlier post above) who have installed their system on the extremely busy Kanpur to Ghaziabad route at Tundla 423 km. There are several vendors who have installed their central control systems on the Metros in India. All Metros are run by a central OCC. Some of these are besides Hitachi STS, Kyosan, Alstom and also Medha Servomotors who are the original makers of Kavach. Smaller companies in India supply subsystems.

For the bullet train, India will resort to screwdrivergiri again. A "consortium" led by Dineshchandra R Agrawal Infracon Private Limited (DRA Infracon) and Siemens Limited/Siemens Mobility GmbH have been awarded the contract to build the OCC which will be located at Sabarmati in Ahmedabad just like the WDFC. That Sudhanshu Mani was complaining there will be a huge problem now "Japanese systems are incompatible with European systems and India should have gone with a Japanese vendor". I think Mani has far outlived his use by date and milked that Train 18 stuff for all it is worth and should keep his "gob" shut. But no has to appear and say things in public.

[Supratik]

vsunderji,

Is the slight jerk and swing we see in VB trains due to the track alignment and curvature? Will it go away with concrete slabs?

[vsunder]

vsunderji,

Is the slight jerk and swing we see in VB trains due to the track alignment and curvature? Will it go away with concrete slabs?

Yes. The method of laying rails on IR is by manual means. This creates inaccurate track geometry. Distance between sleepers/railroad ties need not be a constant and by code value for example. Manual laying of track is slow, about 200m per day. Plus the surveying of lines that hail from legacy British days was done by imprecise survey equipment. This is fine at low speeds but is magnified at high speeds and affects ride comfort as you noticed. For example nowadays all survey is done by LIDAR and drones and lasers are used in the surveying equipment for alignment and land leveling. On the DFCs it has gone a step further. Harsco machines from the US which are very expensive NTC(New track construction) machines were used to lay track with precise geometry that lays sleepers exactly at fixed distances from each other. Track laying is also fast, 1.5km a day. Of course surveys of the DFC was done by LIDAR.

For HSR it even goes a step further. Ballastless track will be used like on a Metro. Here the precision is at an ever higher level. The track is carefully arranged on wire mesh and then the concrete is poured, so one has to take extra care to lay the track as once the concrete is poured it is a mess to correct mistakes. Ballastless track has a high initial cost to put down, but maintenance of such track is much lower than ballasted track, and the track geometry is impeccable and you will feel a far smoother ride than VB over legacy roadbeds of British days and track that has been layed manually over which VB travels. Laying ballastless track is slow however, on Metro sections they are laying about 50-75m at most every day of ballastless track. It can be speeded up but only marginally.

[vsunder]

Finally after a decade, Bangalore is connected to Mumbai by a double line fully electrified. CRS took place two days ago on the last remaining single line section on the Bangalore to Mumbai route from Makkajipalli to Dharmavaram 30km. CRS has sanctioned a speed of 110km on this section in SWR territory. This new double line spans Penukonda to Dharmavaram. There is another line that is parallel to this one between Penukonda and Dharmavaram that is still single line. This single line goes via SSPN, Sri Santhi Prasanthi Nilayam, Puttaparthi Sai baba place. Many important trains travel on this single line to facilitate travel from places like Delhi to Puttaparthi. Hopefully SWR may now introduce more trains between Bangalore and Solapur and Bangalore and Mumbai/Delhi.

https://www.railpost.in/swr-commissions ... -line/amp/

[Supratik]

Now that they have ballastless track technology thanks to Mum-Ahmd bullet train project they should use them for legacy lines to improve ride quality and increase speed.

[Zynda]

Finally after a decade, Bangalore is connected to Mumbai by a double line fully electrified. CRS took place two days ago on the last remaining single line section on the Bangalore to Mumbai route from Makkajipalli to Dharmavaram 30km. CRS has sanctioned a speed of 110km on this section in SWR territory. This new double line spans Penukonda to Dharmavaram. There is another line that is parallel to this one between Penukonda and Dharmavaram that is still single line. This single line goes via SSPN, Sri Santhi Prasanthi Nilayam, Puttaparthi Sai baba place. Many important trains travel on this single line to facilitate travel from places like Delhi to Puttaparthi. Hopefully SWR may now introduce more trains between Bangalore and Solapur and Bangalore and Mumbai/Delhi.

https://www.railpost.in/swr-commissions ... -line/amp/

SWR had said earlier this year that BLR-Dharmavaram line will be 130 Kph speed capability operational by March 2026...is it still happening?

[vsunder]

Finally after a decade, Bangalore is connected to Mumbai by a double line fully electrified. CRS took place two days ago on the last remaining single line section on the Bangalore to Mumbai route from Makkajipalli to Dharmavaram 30km. CRS has sanctioned a speed of 110km on this section in SWR territory. This new double line spans Penukonda to Dharmavaram. There is another line that is parallel to this one between Penukonda and Dharmavaram that is still single line. This single line goes via SSPN, Sri Santhi Prasanthi Nilayam, Puttaparthi Sai baba place. Many important trains travel on this single line to facilitate travel from places like Delhi to Puttaparthi. Hopefully SWR may now introduce more trains between Bangalore and Solapur and Bangalore and Mumbai/Delhi.

https://www.railpost.in/swr-commissions ... -line/amp/

SWR had said earlier this year that BLR-Dharmavaram line will be 130 Kph speed capability operational by March 2026...is it still happening?

It is the stated goal of SWR to increase speeds on Bangalore to Dharmavaram to 130kmph. After Dharmavaram comes SCR and Yadav when he was the GM SCR before moving on to head the Railway Board in Suresh Prabhu's time had taken steps to increase speeds on the Chennai to Mumbai route to 130kmph. Several things have to happen before the speed can increase to 130kmph. let us list them.

1. The new double line has to settle and the formation/track bed has to stabilize. However the article I have posted proclaims that SWR claims that this Makkajipalli to Dharmavarm section is the highest ever commissioning speed of 110 kmph in its history. Given that SWR runs at bicycle speed I suppose it is an achievement. Post a year of track bed settling and firming up they can apply to the CRS for upping the sectional speed. In particular all major and minor bridges on the upline which was laid earlier at the time of gauge conversion must be strengthened to sustain operations at 130 kmph. I suppose the newly laid downline is capable of 130 kmph speeds once the track bed settles and formation firms up.

2. Track has to be canted properly. That is at turns the track has to be at an angle to provide some normal component of the weight to balance the centrifugal force. Just set up a force diagram with vectors to see what I mean. This component of the weight due to the cant provides the stability. The cant is easily computed with the running speed 140kmph say. On the legacy upline tracks this may involve formation work. Also they may have to put a thicker layer of blanket usually crushed stone to 50-80mm for better ride. This may not have been done when gauge conversion took place in the 90s. This will take time.

3. Next you will have to use CMS, Cast Manganese steel. the toe part of crossing points have to be replaced by one solidly cast block of Manganese steel which has 12-14% Manganese and very low carbon content. This replaces toe assemblies built out of rails that are bolted together and which are high maintenance with frequent inspection to make sure the bolts are tight. The CMS steel is also such that the point assembly hardens more and more with the hammering it gets with the trains passing over it. This is the metallurgy of that steel and ideal for high speed rail 130kmph and 160kmph.

4. You have to install thick web switches, the thin web switches will break under 130kmph trains and so on. TWS switches are robust and the clamping mechanism far more robust than traditional points.

5. You will have to fence off all of the track or at least those parts where cattle crossings are common and/or humans cross the track in an unauthorized way.

6. All level crossings will have to be removed or at least all level crossings will have to be interlocked with the signals to close appropriately when a train is approaching.

7. All distant signals are double distant. That is instead of having one home signal and one distant signal, there are two distant signals approaching a station out to 2-3km so that safe braking can be done at high speeds. This I have noticed was installed in the videos I have seen recently of the Makkajipalli to Dharmavaram section when construction was going on.

8. Not absolutely necessary now but absolutely necessary for 160kmph and heavy freight sections, all OHE will have to be replaced from single phase 1x25kv to 2x25 kv with auto transformer and 50kv feed but 25kv feed to the loco. 2x25kv allows for less current and thus by the standard formula i^2R for power loss, less power loss and so locos have a lot more power available to them. 2x25kv is being done on all trunk routes and heavy haul freight routes like Katni to Bina etc and 2x25kv is now the standard on both EDFC and WDFC due to the heavy freight requirements.

1-8 will take time to implement. Nevertheless Kacheguda(Hyderabad) to Bangalore VB will necessarily still be slow due to Dhone --Kurnool---Mahbubnagar section still single line and under doubling which will take 2 years minimum to complete doubling. I would say 3-4 years. Until then nothing significant to happen between Bangalore to Hyderabad. People want the VB to run via SSPN, Satya Sai Baba place which is s single line and this will still increase the time taken for VB between Bangalore to Kacheguda.

I have talked about CMS, 2x25kv and thick web switches here. Here are some videos explaining the concepts. The videos on thick web switches by IR instructors are crap, shows why education in India has gone to the dogs. Cannot explain simple things in basic ways. So will not post on thick web switches. Pl. dont post on thick web switches.

Replacing CMS points. Notice the solid one monoblock casting as opposed to bolts and so on holding a pair of rails together of the past:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/hmxzGy0RJcU


2x25 kv OHE and traction on Indian railways. This is now the standard on the DFCs and slowly the standard on the rest of the network. At 160kmph it is an absolute necessity and and on all freight heavy sections of IR. Note what I said on the smaller value of I current and what I said above ^^^ on I^2R and power loss.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWIcHlP9BoU

Typically IR uses 1:12 switches at points. That is for every 12m you travel the tracks separate by 1m. For higher speed this separation is too much and you may want 1:18 which means for every 18m you travel you separate by 1m. This will allow the train to go faster speeds on to loop lines and not have to slow down as much.

[Mollick.R]

Rs 9,072 crore rail boost: Union Cabinet clears three multitracking projects across four states

ET Online Last Updated: Feb 24, 2026, 03:36:00 PM IST

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Tuesday cleared three major railway multitracking projects worth Rs 9,072 crore aimed at easing congestion, boosting freight capacity and strengthening connectivity across key mineral and industrial corridors spanning Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand.

The projects — Gondia–Jabalpur doubling, the third and fourth lines between Punarakh and Kiul, and between Gamharia and Chandil — will add about 307 km to the Indian Railways network and are targeted for completion by 2030-31, according to an official statement.

Designed under the PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan, the upgrades aim to unclog some of the busiest freight arteries while improving reliability of passenger services. Once completed, the expanded capacity is expected to enhance connectivity for nearly 5,407 villages with a combined population of about 98 lakh, while enabling smoother movement of both goods and travellers.

The routes are strategically important for transporting bulk commodities such as coal, steel, cement, fertilizers and foodgrains. Capacity augmentation is projected to unlock additional freight traffic of around 52 million tonnes annually, easing logistics bottlenecks and lowering transport costs.

Officials said the shift of cargo to rail — considered more energy-efficient than road — could also cut oil imports by roughly 6 crore litres and reduce carbon emissions by nearly 30 crore kg, equivalent to planting one crore trees.

Beyond industry, the enhanced lines are expected to improve access to several tourist destinations and regional hubs, signalling a broader push to fuse infrastructure expansion with economic development and environmental gains.


Read more at:
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/in ... aign=cppst

[Zynda]

SWR had said earlier this year that BLR-Dharmavaram line will be 130 Kph speed capability operational by March 2026...is it still happening?

It is the stated goal of SWR to increase speeds on Bangalore to Dharmavaram to 130kmph.

Vsunderji, IIRC, SWR had done a 130 Kph speed trail between SBC & Dharmavaram last year...possible a lot of issues were identified. Yes...SWR has to be one of the slowest division among IR...Thanks for the detailed explanation Saar.

[uddu]

India’s First Hydrogen Train Completes Trial
Jind, Haryana: India’s first hydrogen-powered train successfully completed its trial run. The train departed Jind railway station at 8.30 am with eight coaches and ran at a speed of 70 kmph towards Lalit Kheda before returning. Railway staff and RPF personnel were on board during the test. The trial will continue for a week. If successful, the train is expected to operate on the Jind–Sonipat route.