Lalu sets ball rolling for bullet train

8220;The routes which will be taken up for pre-feasibility study for his project will include Mumbai-Ahmedabad, Delhi-Amritsar, Chennai-Bangalore and Kolkata-Bhubaneswar. Any train travelling over 250 kilometers per hour can be called a Bullet Train. Since these corridors are meant to operate train with speeds between 300-350 kmph, they will eventually have Bullet Train running on them,8221; a senior Railway Board official said. Railways are mulling outsourcing the pre-feasibility study task.

The idea behind having these corridors, say officials, is to provide quick travel time on select routes to a selected clientele. 8220;For instance, a business traveler between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, if given a faster train, would not hesitate in choosing us over an airline. The same thinking applies to other routes which have a significant, dedicated clientele irrespective of month or season,8221; an official explained.

But officials point out that it could be a bit premature to rejoice.

8220;The first thing needed to run such a train is a dedicated track 8212; either ground-level or elevated. Then it would need to be ensured that the track is suitably guarded from both sides so as to ensure that people or animals don8217;t stray into the path of such a high-speed train,8221; the official added.