Madhya Pradesh: Railways to Install 530 km of Fencing So Vande Bharat Can Run at 160 kmph

Bhopal: The speed of Vande Bharat trains passing through Bhopal and nearby metropolitan stations is planned to rise from 130 kmph to 160 kmph. The speed of superfast trains such as Rajdhani and Shatabdi is also to be increased. To stop frequent incidents of cattle being hit by trains and people being run over in the 530 km route area of the Bhopal Railway Division, the railway has started a project to build a protective boundary on railway land.

Senior Divisional Commercial Manager (DCM) Saurabh Kataria said officials are working to make the entire area accident-free within 12 months. More than 50 incidents of cattle collisions and run-overs have occurred here in the past 12 months. Special fencing is being installed to make the tracks hard to reach, keeping animal and pedestrian movement near the tracks to a minimum.

Work on These Routes First

Work is being started to install fencing of 530 km on both sides of the tracks from Khandwa to Bina. This will allow trains to run at speeds of up to 160 kmph. A deadline of March 2027 has been set for the work. The entire project is to be completed at a cost of Rs 288.31 crore.

This section of the Bhopal division is one of the busiest routes, with many premium and superfast trains passing through every day. There is often a risk of accidents because stray cattle come onto the tracks or villagers cross them without authorisation.

Trains Such as Rajdhani and Vande Bharat to Benefit

Trains running at 130 kmph and above will benefit more once the fencing is in place. According to railway officials, the risk of cattle coming onto the tracks will be eliminated after the fencing. This will make it possible to run trains such as Rajdhani and Vande Bharat at full speed. There are plans to run these trains at 160 kmph later.

About 220 trains pass daily on the Khandwa-Itarsi, Itarsi-Bhopal and Bhopal-Bina routes. The speed of superfast trains will increase. All these trains will benefit from the fencing. The safety of passengers travelling on these trains will also improve.