Indian Railways is set to get a brand new high-speed test track facility soon. Construction on the new track is underway near Phulera between Gudha and Tathana Mithri stations of North Western Railway’s Jodhpur division. The track will run close to the famous Sambhar Lake for much of its length.
RDSO wants the test track to be capable of axle loads up to 32.5 tonnes and speeds up to 220 kmph in Phase II of the project. The dedicated test track will be used for testing of tracks, bridges, rolling stock, signalling, traction etc for running of semi high-speed trains. Indian Railways will use the track to conduct tests for commercial operations up to speeds of 200 kmph.
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Indian Railways will partly reuse an old metre-gauge alignment for the track. However, no commercial services will operate on the line.
The test track will also have loop lines of different types designed to conduct accelerated service testing of various rolling stock, signalling and overhead equipment components. This will help Indian Railways establish service life for equipment in Indian conditions.
Indian Railways’ Test Track Project Plan
Execution Timelines
IR will execute the project in 2 phases. Phase 1 of the project was sanctioned in the financial year 2018-19. The second phase was sanctioned in 2020-21. The combined cost of both phases is currently estimated at around Rs. 820 crores.
Work on Phase 1 is underway. 3.5 kilometres of track has been completed and commissioned so far, with over 150 crores spent on the project. Phase 1 was originally scheduled for completion by the end of the calendar year 2021. Phase two was to be completed by the end of the calendar year 2022. However, target date of completion for both has been pushed back to 31st December 2023 as of now.
Key Features of Indian Railways’ Test Track Near Phulera Between Gudha and Tathana Mithri
| Plan | Phase 1 | Phase 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 25kms | 34kms |
| Date of Completion | December 2023 (Earlier December 2021) | December 2023 (Earlier December 2022) |
| No.of curves | 16 | 25 |
| Max degree of curve | 11.66 degree | 7.32 degree |
| Important Feature | Twisted Track | High Speed Loop, RDSO testing Facility, Centralized Traffic Control |
| No.of major/minor bridges | 2/44 | 3/51 |
| Stations | 0 | 4 (New Gudha, Jabdi Nagar, New Nawa, New Mithri) |
Indian Railways had earlier attempted construction of test tracks near Mughalsarai and later near Kanpur. However, neither project came to fruition due to various issues, including land acquisition.
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