Delhi-Howrah travel may be cut by 2 hours, says Railways

CURRENTLY, THE RAJDHANI EXPRESS IS THE FASTEST TRAIN BETWEEN THE 2 STATIONS, TAKING 17.05 HRS TO COMPLETE THE JOURNEY

NEW DELHI: The Indian Railways will shorten the travel time between New Delhi and Howrah by at least two and a half hours by increasing the highest speed of trains to 160 kmph, officials familiar with the matter said.

The plan along the 1,525-km route will be carried out under project Mission Raftar, which aims to reduce travel time along busy stretches by running passenger trains at a speed of 160 kmph. A similar plan under the project is already being implemented along the 1,483-km long New Delhi-Mumbai route.

Currently, the Rajdhani Express is the fastest train between New Delhi and Howrah. It takes 17.05 hours to complete the journey via Gaya in Bihar.

“Passengers travelling along the New Delhi and Howrah route will be able to reach their destination at least two and a half hours to three hours earlier as the speed of the train will be increased from the current 85 kmph to maximum of 160 kmph,” an officer of the national transporter said on condition of anonymity. “With the implementation of Mission Raftar, the Rajdhani Express running along this route will reach its destination in less than 15 hours.”

The highest speed on this route was raised to 130 kmph in July 2020.

“Work for raising the sectional speed to 160 kmph along New Delhi-Howrah (including Kanpur-Lucknow) has been sanctioned and efforts to improve the tracks through fencing, overhead equipment modification and automatic train protection are in various stages of progress,” another railway official said, seeking anonymity.

The overhead equipment will use latest technology set to global standards and used by countries like France, Germany, South Africa and China, the official added.