Agra-Amritsar stretch is PMO priority for high-speed corridor

Of the four routes being examined by the Indian Railways for setting up of high-speed passenger corridors...

Of the four routes being examined by the Indian Railways for setting up of high-speed passenger corridors, the one linking Agra-Delhi-Chandigarh and Chandigarh-Ludhiana-Amritsar is now being accorded top priority by the Prime Minister8217;s Office PMO.

Senior Rail Bhavan sources told The Indian Express that the PMO has shown interest in setting up a high-speed passenger corridor on the said route, since it assures traffic from both tourism and business perspectives. 8220;While Agra and Amritsar attract a dedicated tourist clientele, Delhi, Chandigarh and Ludhiana have huge numbers of business travellers,8221; an official said. The Railways, meanwhile, has taken the first step towards examining the concept of corridors by deciding to let RITES do the pre-feasibility study of the four routes in each of the zones. The other routes examined include Mumbai-Ahmedabad, Chennai-Bangalore-Hyderabad and Howrah-Tatanagar-Patna. The pre-feasibility studies are likely to be completed within a year.

The Indian Railways plans high-speed corridors, which will be able to handle speeds between 300-350 kmph, enabling passengers travel upto 600 km in two hours. This, said officials, would enable the Railways win back its clientele that had shifted loyalties to airlines.

However, creating such corridors will cost huge amounts of money. 8220;Commercial development of land alongside railway stations on these routes can compensate for the high costs involved in setting up such corridors. We are very clear that this can be done only through PPPs. Operating trains on these routes may not earn you money straightaway, but revenue generation can be achieved on the commercial side,8221; an official said.

8220;A transport system like this not only has lower emissions but will also take off a substantial number of cars and buses off the roads,8221; said a Rail Bhavan official. The corridors can be either at the ground-level or at a certain height, said top officials. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Railways plans to sell the concept and also get industry feedback on the ambitious venture at a seminar on 8216;High-Speed Passenger Corridors8217;, organised by the Asian Institute of Transport Development.