High-speed rail between Chennai-Mysuru proposed

The German government has proposed a high-speed railway network between Chennai-Mysuru that will cut travel time by more than five hours.

The feasibility study report submitted by German Ambassador Martin Ney to Railway Board chairman Ashwani Lohani on Thursday proposes to cover the 435 km with a maximum speed of around 320 kmph that will reduce the travel time between Chennai and Mysuru from the present seven hours to two hours and twenty minutes.

"The study was both commissioned and financed by the German government. The route was found to be not only extremely viable, but also prove to be the most effective solution to manage traffic growth," Ney said.

The report says around Rs 1 lakh crore required to build a high-speed corridor Chennai-Arakkonam-Bangalore-Mysuru route and another Rs 150 crore for rolling stock.

Of the total 453 km distance, 85 per cent will be elevated section and have 11 per cent tunnels. It will reduce travel time between Chennai and Bengaluru by 100 minutes and between Bengaluru and Mysuru by 40 minutes.

The report also suggested the railways to integrate its existing conventional railway line with the high-speed line instead of a dedicated high-speed corridor in order to reduce the cost and avoid land acquisition issues.

Receiving the report Lohani said the Germans studied both mixed modes and dedicated mode and decided that the dedicated mode was more viable.

"We are expecting that we will be able to ground some passengers from airlines when they see that the travel time has been reduced drastically. Unless one lives near to the airport, trains will be faster than airlines once this kind of high speed rail network is introduced," Lohani said.