The Central Railway (CR) is preparing for a new train alignment through the steep ghats and difficult terrain between the Mumbai and Pune routes. On Wednesday, August 7, officials revealed that the Railway Board has granted preliminary approval for the construction of various tunnels to replace the ghat segment.
The alignment plan is still in its early stages, and CR will draft an complete plan along with finances. It should be noted that the old route had a difficult topography, which included tunnels and steep ghats. With the new train track from Karjat to Talegaon, steep ghats can be avoided.
To travel through the current alignment between Mumbai and Pune, banker locomotives are required to help trains climb steep parts. Banker locomotives are necessary because of the existing 1:37 grade to push trains uphill and control them downhill.
Currently, only the Mumbai-Solapur Vande Bharat and the Mumbai Rajdhani Express can cross the challenging route without banker locomotives. The new route will eliminate the task of attaching and removing banker locomotives. This will reduce speed limits and delays.
The proposed track will have a gradient of 1:100, named "Sreedharan Grade" after E. Sreedharan, known for his work on the Delhi Metro. This new route is expected to simplify the current high gradient and reduce travel time.
Even with a 20-kilometre diversion, the new route will save commuters ten to twenty minutes of travel between Mumbai and Pune. It will also allow more trains to operate on this busy route.
Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw approved the project after visiting the ghat section on July 20. The new alignment was approved by Vaishnaw after two years of planning and inspection. He evaluated the challenges of the current alignment. He saw these difficulties firsthand during his inspection journey.
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