High-Speed Rail to Connect Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Chennai in Just Over 2 Hours
The dream of ultra-fast train travel in India is edging closer to reality, with two high-speed rail corridors being proposed to connect Hyderabad to Bengaluru and Chennai. Designed to run at speeds of 320 km/h, these trains promise to deliver journey times comparable to air travel, radically transforming how people move between these major southern cities.
Once completed, the Hyderabad-Bengaluru corridor, covering a stretch of 626 km, will reduce travel time to just 2 hours. The Hyderabad-Chennai route, which spans 705 km, will bring down the journey time to just 2 hours and 20 minutes. This bold initiative is set to revolutionise connectivity, not only making it faster to travel but also increasing overall efficiency for passengers.
Currently, the fastest way to travel by air between these cities takes approximately one hour and 15 minutes for Hyderabad to Bengaluru and one hour and 20 minutes for Hyderabad to Chennai. However, this doesn’t account for the time spent in airports or on the ground travelling to city centres. Including all the associated time, flying often extends the total travel time to anywhere between 2 and 3 hours. In contrast, the proposed high-speed rail will match this time, but with the added benefit of eliminating the hassles of air travel, such as security checks and airport logistics. The Centre’s ambitious plan, which is still in the development phase, will see the construction of two dedicated high-speed corridors designed specifically for bullet trains. These corridors will be exclusive to high-speed trains, distinguishing them from traditional railway lines that serve a range of services, including freight. The design is modelled on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed corridor, already under construction and expected to be operational by 2028.
RITES Limited, a prominent engineering consultancy, has already initiated the process of conducting a final location survey for the two corridors. The survey will encompass detailed planning, including the design of the alignment, traffic estimates, and preparation of engineering documents for both routes. The total cost of this survey is projected to be Rs 33 crore. The final project is set to require a significant investment and may take over 15 years to complete, according to railway officials. Despite the long timeline, the high-speed rail project is seen as a game-changer for Indian infrastructure. The elevated corridors will be specifically designed to accommodate trains running at up to 350 km/h, although they will initially operate at 320 km/h. This future-proofing will allow for multi-tracking in the future, ensuring the corridors remain viable for increasing demand.
A key challenge for the success of these high-speed rail corridors will be the thorough and rigorous planning required. Remote sensing studies, geological mapping, and soil testing are necessary to ensure the corridors can handle the demands of bullet trains and the varying terrain across southern India. The project will also involve extensive civil engineering work, including the construction of bridges and tunnels, to ensure smooth and uninterrupted travel. The infrastructural implications of this project are profound. The introduction of dedicated high-speed rail corridors will require a complete overhaul of current rail infrastructure, which, while challenging, will ultimately drive the nation’s transition to modern, efficient transportation systems. The new rail lines could provide a significant boost to regional connectivity, reduce congestion on roadways, and offer a more sustainable and eco-friendly mode of travel in comparison to air and road transport.
