Imagine a scenario when you board the train in Delhi in the wee hours of the morning and reach Mumbai a few hours later, in time to attend your meetings. Indian Railways is all set to make it a reality.
It has put in place plans to introduce superfast trains in the country. Hurtling down the track at 250 kilometers per hour, these trains can cover the 1,400 km between Delhi and Mumbai in less than six hours. The cost of the entire project could be about Rs 4,000 crore (Rs 40 billion) and it would take about five years for the trains to become operational.
Still better, the plan has the blessings of the Prime Minister's Office. It has taken it up as a mission. The plan is likely to be announced soon, once the coming general elections are over. The trains are expected to be developed on the European model.
Over the past few months, the Indian Railways has deepened its cooperation with the International Union of Railways on improving several parameters of its technical functioning.
Rail Bhawan sources said the concept of high-speed trains was not just a high visibility project for the ministry -- it also reflected the engineering capabilities of the domestic industry.
Given the enormous ability shown by the domestic engineering industry in the indigenisation of locomotive parts, the development of such trains can give a significant boost to the local industry, the sources opined.
Taking the argument forward, they said with the rapid increase in the average speed of trains across the world, India could become the engineering hub for providing the needed components for such trains at far cheaper rates than any one else. But for this to happen, the country would have to also demonstrate its ability to run such trains.
For the Railway Board, the compulsions of providing for the immediate needs of infrastructure maintenance, including track and rolling stock, every year, have obstructed its ability to take on such a project.
A high-speed train would need a dedicated track, which would also need to be protected from any cattle or humans crossing over.
However, officials feel that there is a need to make a paradigm shift in the operations of the railways, especially as funds constraints have eased through measures to set up Rail Vikas Nigam Limited in 2003, and the setting up of the Special Rail Safety Fund in 2001.
On a limited scale, the chairman of the Railway Board, RK Singh, told a seminar organised by CII and Impressions India on Rail Safety here today to begin with, techno-economic appraisal and feasibility surveys has been already started for running trains at over 150 kilometers per hour.
The Delhi-Agra section is being considered as one of the possible route to run such trains. Singh said safety issues become even more critical as the trains are speeded up.