New Delhi: The Indian Railways on Thursday held a trial run of a semi-high speed train between New Delhi to Agra.
"The maximum speed of the train is 160 km/h. There are 10 coaches altogether and it is a trial run today. The speed of the train is more than the Shatabdi that runs from New Delhi to Agra. It will start running from November," said DRM of Delhi Division, Anurag Sachaan.
"The fare will be decided by railway department. After this, a similar train for New Delhi to Chandigarh and New Delhi to Kanpur will be put into effect," he added
The trial run will see the train travelling upto a speed of 160 kilometres per hour. The semi-high speed train would reduce the travel time between Delhi and Agra by about 30 minutes to 90 minutes. Currently, the Bhopal Shatabdi runs at speeds of up to a maximum of 150kmph on that route.
The train would come as a boon for tourists visiting Taj Mahal as the travel time between Delhi and Agra is expected to come down to 90 minutes from the current 120 minutes.
The state transporter is making the semi-high speed train, the first of its kind in the railways, operational using its own resources.
It is estimated that a cost of Rs 15 crore would be incurred to make the track ready for the semi-high speed train, said a senior Railway Ministry official involved with the project.
There will be fencing for a stretch of 27-km along the track between Delhi and Agra to prevent obstruction and ensure speed.
After the Delhi to Agra service, Railways will run similar trains for Kanpur and Chandigarh from the national capital.
