Hyderabad to Chennai and Bengaluru in Just 2 Hours: Center Government to Introduce High Speed Train Soon
In a major boost to regional travel, the Centre’s proposed high-speed rail corridors linking Hyderabad to Bengaluru and Chennai are poised to transform commuting in the region.
In a major boost to regional travel, the Centre’s proposed high-speed rail corridors linking Hyderabad to Bengaluru and Chennai are poised to transform commuting in the region. Once completed, these new rail services will drastically reduce travel times, making train travel as quick as flying.
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A Revolution in Travel Times
The planned high-speed trains, designed to reach speeds of up to 320 km/h, promise to significantly cut down travel times. Passengers will be able to travel from Hyderabad to Bengaluru in just 2 hours and from Hyderabad to Chennai in 2 hours and 20 minutes. This is a dramatic improvement from the current train journey, which takes nearly 10 hours.
Matching Air Travel Convenience
At present, flights between Hyderabad and Bengaluru typically take about one hour and 15 minutes, while the flight to Chennai lasts around one hour and 20 minutes. However, the time spent commuting from airports to city centers adds an additional 45 minutes to an hour to the journey. In contrast, the proposed high-speed rail corridors will cover the full journey in approximately 2-3 hours, rivaling air travel when factoring in total travel time.
The Hyderabad-Chennai rail corridor will stretch 705 kilometers, while the Hyderabad-Bengaluru route will cover 626 kilometers.
Survey and Assessment Process Underway
RITES Limited, a government engineering consultancy, has launched a tender process to conduct a final location survey for both high-speed rail corridors. This will include detailed designs for the track alignments, engineering documents for elevated corridors, and traffic estimates. The overall cost of the survey and assessment is projected to be Rs 33 crore.
South Central Railway (SCR) officials have confirmed that these high-speed rail routes will be entirely dedicated to high-speed services, differentiating them from conventional railway tracks that currently accommodate passenger trains, freight, and Vande Bharat services.
Drawing Inspiration from Mumbai-Ahmedabad Corridor
The design of the high-speed rail corridors between Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Chennai will follow the model of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor, which is currently under construction. This project, expected to support speeds of up to 350 km/h, will initially operate at 320 km/h, making travel faster and more efficient.
A Long-Term Vision for High-Speed Rail
Although the timeline for completing the Hyderabad-Bengaluru-Chennai rail corridors remains uncertain, officials anticipate that the project could take at least 15 years. By comparison, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed corridor began its feasibility study in 2015, with construction starting in 2021. This corridor is expected to be completed by 2028 at a cost of Rs 1.65 lakh crore.
The new high-speed rail services will provide an environmentally friendly alternative to air travel, reducing congestion and travel time, and offering greater convenience for passengers.
Future Prospects for Expansion
The firm awarded the project will also conduct geological and remote sensing studies, as well as lab tests on soil and rock samples along the proposed routes. These steps will ensure the structural integrity of bridges, viaducts, and tunnels, and lay the groundwork for future network expansion. Plans also include provisions for multi-tracking within existing broad-gauge railway corridors, further enhancing capacity.
As the project progresses, it is set to revolutionize travel between Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Chennai, making high-speed rail an attractive and efficient alternative to flying for commuters.
