Proposal by the Railway Board under feasibility investigation by zones enroute.
Passengers on the Howrah-Delhi route could soon be in for faster trips on the Rajdhani Express. The 12301/02 New Delhi – Howrah – New Delhi Rajdhani Express will be speeded up by 85-90 minutes in both directions.
The Railway Board has asked the involved zones to investigate the feasibility of this proposal and respond.
With the train switching to a Push-Pull configuration; where one locomotive is attached at the head of the train and the other one at the rear, better acceleration, braking and average speeds are expected.
The move will help trim the flab in the 17-hour / 1,447 km schedule of the train between the two cities, according to the Traction Directorate of the Railway Board.
Multiple Changes Needed
However, the switch the new timings, if found feasible, is likely to require some time to implement.
Modifications to the schedule are likely to require the creation of a new path for the train along the route in both directions. With the route, as well as both New Delhi and Howrah stations chronically congested, many trains could require minor adjustments to schedules.
Also, the rakes used for the Rajdhanis will have to be retrofitted with the requisite modifications for Push-Pull operations. Besides, locomotive pairs that can operate in Push-Pull mode will have to be arranged to operate these trains.
A similar exercise was carried out in the case of the 22221 / 22222 Mumbai – Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express via Central Railway. This was the first Rajdhani to run in Push-Pull mode and be provided with a tighter schedule as a result.
Schedules for conflicting trains were either modified, or days of run changed, while the rake was modified and suitable locomotives had to be arranged.
According to the proposed timetable sent by the RB to different zones enroute, the 12301Dn Howrah – Delhi is expected to reach NDLS by 8:30 am as against the existing time of 10:00 am. Whereas in the return journey, the 12302 Up Delhi – Howrah Rajdhani is expected to reach Howrah by 7:20 am as against the existing time of 9:55 am.
The Chief Passenger Transportation Managers of NCR, ECR & ER have been asked to work on the modalities at the earliest.
Needs a lot of safety measures as well as bolstering of the infrastructure to make it a success. We all know the kind of traffic volume that this route experiences on a daily basis. Thesection that will pose a serious challenge will be the Allahabad- DDU one.
Will Sealdah Rajdhani Express also get the push-pull system?
…..I m happy For the above decisions.Jai Hind