Western Railway speeds up network upgrade

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Western Railway in India is accelerating its network upgrade, increasing maximum train speeds on several routes to 130 kmph and up to 160 kmph on the Mumbai-Delhi route. Infrastructure developments include additional stabling lines at Bandra Terminus and platform extensions at Mumbai Central.

Western Railway is upgrading infrastructure across its network to raise the maximum permissible speed on several routes to 130 kmph from the current 100-110 kmph, while work is also underway to enable trains on the busy Mumbai-Delhi trunk route to run at up to 160 kmph, a senior railway official said on Tuesday.The speed enhancement programme is aimed at cutting travel time, improving operational efficiency and offering faster connectivity to passengers, Western Railway General Manager Ramashray Pandey said during an informal interaction with media persons at the railway's Churchgate headquarters."We are upgrading routes where trains currently run at speeds of 100 kmph and 110 kmph to enable operations at 130 kmph. Simultaneously, the project to upgrade the Mumbai-Delhi trunk route from 130 kmph to 160 kmph is underway," he said.Pandey said the commissioning of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) would create additional capacity on the existing network, allowing more passenger trains to be introduced as freight traffic shifts to the dedicated corridor.He added that Western Railway has sought three to four Vande Bharat sleeper trains for deployment on various routes.On redevelopment plans for Garib Nagar in Bandra, which recently drew attention following the demolition of illegal huts, Pandey said the area would be developed with passenger amenities while certain railway facilities, including a diesel shed, would be relocated."After shifting these structures, ten new stabling lines will be constructed at Bandra Terminus. This will enable the introduction of at least ten new trains from the terminus," Pandey said.He also said all five platforms at Mumbai Central terminus would be extended in phases over the next couple of years to accommodate 24-coach trains. At present, the station can handle trains with a maximum of 22 coaches.Pandey said passenger traffic on Western Railway declined 2 per cent over the past two months, compared with a 0.2 per cent decline in the previous financial year. He suggested that some commuters may have shifted to Metro services.