The Crossbill Team
The running speed of premium trains including Vande Bharat, Shatabdi express and Gatiman express will be soon reduced by the Indian Railways on select routes due to safety concerns, The Hindu reported.
Sources within the railways has confirmed the newspaper that the North Central Railway (NCR) had written to the Railway Board to slow down the speeds of selected trains. On June 25, through a written statement, the NCR has proposed to reduce the speeds of Train No 12050/12049 Delhi-Jhansi-Delhi Gatiman Express, Train No 20172/20171 Delhi-Rani Kamalapati-Delhi Vande Bharat Express, Train No 22470/22469 Delhi-Khajuraho-Delhi Vande Bharat Express and Train No 12002/12001 Delhi-Rani Kamalapati-Delhi Shatabdi Express trains.
The speeds of Vande Bharat and Gatiman express will be reduced from 160 kmph to 130 kmph, while the speed of Shatabdi Express which now runs at 150 kmph will be cut to 130 kmph.
The report said that the reduced speeds will increase the running of these trains by 25-30 minutes and will also affect the timing of at least 10 superfast and express trains.
According to a senior railway official the failure of the Train Protection & Warning System (TPWS) was the reason behind the reduction in train speeds on the Delhi-Agra-Jhansi routes.
The move to cut down on train speeds was taken in the aftermath of Kanchanjunga express accident in West Bengal’s Darjeeling district in which at least 15 people died and 60 others got injured.
Earlier in November last year, the Northern Railway too, had sent a proposal to the Railway Board to either do away with the TPWS or reduce train speeds.
The NCR’s request for the premium trains to be operated “at a much safer speed of 130 kmph” is based on a report by the Divisional Railway Manager which finds that the repair or maintenance of TPWS was not possible, The Hindu reported.
After getting two proposals for cutting down speeds of semi-high-speed trains citing safety reasons by two different zonal railways, the Railway Board has planned to approve the proposals.
Answering a question on whether the speeds of Vandhe Bharat trains running in other parts of the country, will see a drop, another official has said that premium trains in all the routes across the country are only running at 130 kmph, except in the Delhi-Kanpur corridor where the tracks are fit for 160 kmph.
Meanwhile, Shubhranshu, the former principal chief mechanical engineer at Integral Coach Factory said that the decision to reduce train speeds after the Kanchanjunga Express tragedy is a knee-jerk reaction. He argued that the speed of goods train that collided with the express train was only 45 kmph.
“I do not understand what safety purpose it would serve by slowing down these trains from 160 kmph to 130 kmph. It is unfortunate that a semi-high-speed train which was built with so many aspirations is being slowed down without getting into the root cause,” he said, quoted The Hindu.
He questioned the move to cut down the speeds based on the reason of defunct TPWS on the Delhi-Agra route and stated that downgrading speeds will not ensure safety concerns. He said that the TPWS has been non-functional on the route from several years, but decision was taken now.
Sources within the railways has confirmed the newspaper that the North Central Railway (NCR) had written to the Railway Board to slow down the speeds of selected trains. On June 25, through a written statement, the NCR has proposed to reduce the speeds of Train No 12050/12049 Delhi-Jhansi-Delhi Gatiman Express, Train No 20172/20171 Delhi-Rani Kamalapati-Delhi Vande Bharat Express, Train No 22470/22469 Delhi-Khajuraho-Delhi Vande Bharat Express and Train No 12002/12001 Delhi-Rani Kamalapati-Delhi Shatabdi Express trains.
The speeds of Vande Bharat and Gatiman express will be reduced from 160 kmph to 130 kmph, while the speed of Shatabdi Express which now runs at 150 kmph will be cut to 130 kmph.
The report said that the reduced speeds will increase the running of these trains by 25-30 minutes and will also affect the timing of at least 10 superfast and express trains.
According to a senior railway official the failure of the Train Protection & Warning System (TPWS) was the reason behind the reduction in train speeds on the Delhi-Agra-Jhansi routes.
The move to cut down on train speeds was taken in the aftermath of Kanchanjunga express accident in West Bengal’s Darjeeling district in which at least 15 people died and 60 others got injured.
Earlier in November last year, the Northern Railway too, had sent a proposal to the Railway Board to either do away with the TPWS or reduce train speeds.
The NCR’s request for the premium trains to be operated “at a much safer speed of 130 kmph” is based on a report by the Divisional Railway Manager which finds that the repair or maintenance of TPWS was not possible, The Hindu reported.
After getting two proposals for cutting down speeds of semi-high-speed trains citing safety reasons by two different zonal railways, the Railway Board has planned to approve the proposals.
Answering a question on whether the speeds of Vandhe Bharat trains running in other parts of the country, will see a drop, another official has said that premium trains in all the routes across the country are only running at 130 kmph, except in the Delhi-Kanpur corridor where the tracks are fit for 160 kmph.
Meanwhile, Shubhranshu, the former principal chief mechanical engineer at Integral Coach Factory said that the decision to reduce train speeds after the Kanchanjunga Express tragedy is a knee-jerk reaction. He argued that the speed of goods train that collided with the express train was only 45 kmph.
“I do not understand what safety purpose it would serve by slowing down these trains from 160 kmph to 130 kmph. It is unfortunate that a semi-high-speed train which was built with so many aspirations is being slowed down without getting into the root cause,” he said, quoted The Hindu.
He questioned the move to cut down the speeds based on the reason of defunct TPWS on the Delhi-Agra route and stated that downgrading speeds will not ensure safety concerns. He said that the TPWS has been non-functional on the route from several years, but decision was taken now.
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