The Ahmedabad–Mumbai bullet train project is moving closer to operational readiness of its electrical systems, with 14 traction substations being established across the 508-kilometre corridor to supply power to high-speed trains. Nine substations are planned in Gujarat and five in Maharashtra, according to a report by Gujarat Samachar – Ahmedabad.
The traction substations will draw electricity from the grid and convert it to the high-voltage supply required for train operations. The arrangement is designed to provide continuous power along the corridor, which connects major urban and industrial locations across Gujarat and Maharashtra.
The substations in Gujarat are being developed at Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Mahemdavad, Ahmedabad and the Sabarmati depot. In Maharashtra, the planned locations are Mumbai, Thane, Virar, Boisar and the Thane depot. The locations will form the electrical backbone for the overhead equipment installed along the high-speed rail alignment.
The first traction substation to approach completion is at Bilimora in Navsari district. The facility is being built over approximately 18,000 square metres. Equipment including control panels, changeover switches, transformers and circuit breakers has been installed in the building, while gantry towers and beams have also been completed, the report said.
Testing and commissioning work is currently under way at the Bilimora facility. The process is intended to verify the performance of the equipment before the substation is integrated into the wider traction power network. The report did not provide a commissioning date for the facility or an operational date for the full corridor.
In Gujarat, the traction substations will receive electricity from the 220-kilovolt Ambetha grid substation operated by the Gujarat Energy Transmission Corporation Limited, or GETCO. The electricity will then be supplied through an advanced 2 x 25 kV traction power system to the overhead equipment installed on the viaduct.
The 2 x 25 kV system is the electrical interface through which trains will draw power while moving along the corridor. The arrangement requires coordination between the grid supply, traction substations, overhead equipment and train operations. The report said the entire power-supply network will be monitored continuously in real time from a centralised control centre.
The electrical infrastructure is one part of the wider construction programme for the corridor, which includes viaducts, stations, depots, signalling and other systems required for high-speed rail operations. By identifying the number and location of traction substations, the latest development also indicates the distributed infrastructure needed to keep a long-distance electrified corridor supplied across state boundaries.
The next stated milestone is the completion of testing and commissioning at the Bilimora traction substation. Further progress will depend on the commissioning of the remaining substations and their integration with the overhead equipment and centralised monitoring system.
