Indian Railways begins survey for less steep Mumbai-Pune route that will reduce travel time

Neela said that the reduced gradient will reduce the need for a banker locomotive while manoeuvring trains through the ghats’ steep slopes. “Passenger coach trains may not require the banker locomotives due to the reduced slope.

They might be used for goods trains ,” said Neela. He said that the survey will throw up available options and then decisions will be made about the most feasible route alignments. “It may be slightly longer than the present route but will take a shorter time,” said Neela.

The alignment that exists now between the two cities came about in the middle of the 19th century. The work carried out by Great Indian Peninsula Railway (GIPR) involved laying railway lines and carving out tunnels through rugged terrain and deep ravines of the Bhor Ghat with the limited tools that were available then.

The rail link, which was crucial for connecting Mumbai (then Bombay) to the Deccan Plateau and beyond, was seen as an economic and military milestone for the British Government as it facilitated the movement of goods, troops, and people.

According to historical records, approximately 24,000 workers were involved in construction supervised by European engineers and it is estimated that several hundreds to 2,000 workers lost their lives due to accidents, harsh working conditions, and diseases like malaria during the project.

The engineering team had to face many unprecedented challenges while working in Bhor Ghat and had to come up with ingenious local solutions – one of them was the Reversing Section near Khandala. Designed to help trains navigate the steep gradient, the section consisted of zigzag or switchback tracks where the train would move forward in one direction, then reverse onto another track, and continue in the opposite direction. This zigzagging helped the train manage the steep gradient more safely by reducing the angle of ascent or descent. The section was used for most of the 19th century and well into the 20th century and became obsolete as more powerful locomotives came to be used by the railways.