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Tenders for the Delhi-Chandigarh semi-high-speed rail line may be issued early next year, according to SNCF, the French railway firm conducting a study on it.
SNCF has almost completed the study for the project, which will see semi-high-speed trains cruising at 200 kmph. The cost is estimated at €1.4 billion (₹ 11,566 crore). It will halve the travel time between the two cities to two hours.
Report submission “We will submit the final report by mid-October, and have a steering committee meeting by October-end,” Philippe Lorand, Project Director, Asia, SNCF told BusinessLine .
SNCF had a meeting with the Indian Railways earlier this week.
“In November, we can write the technical standards as we already have a well-laid-out process. The bids can be invited as early as next year, depending on the Indian Railways,” he said.
The proposed route is largely on the existing route alignment between the two cities although SNCF has proposed some variations to minimise land acquisition.
“With higher speeds, some realignments are required to ensure safety,” Lorand said.
Of the €1.5 billion cost, broadly a third is expected to be spent on civil work, one third on signalling, telecom and systems and the remaining on rolling stock.
SNCF feels there should be a “bespoke” solution for India, with specially made trainsets or electrical multiple units (EMUs) for the country. Haryana has proposed one intermediate station – Ambala.
Funding options On funding options for the project, Lorand said, “It is a separate discussion. But, I am sure talks must be on at government level to work this out.”
On station modernisation, which is another area of cooperation between France and India, Lorand said that at a basic level, French Railways look at railway stations to promote inter-modal points – where traffic transfers can happen between metros, buses – and trains of different speeds.
Incidentally, SNCF, which had also conducted a study for Mumbai-Ahmedebad corridor, had suggested a 200 kmph semi-high-speed network between the two cities.
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