Railways increases speed limit to reclassify high-speed trains

The Indian Railways has modified the classification of high-speed trains by rising the utmost speed limit to greater than 130 kmph. However, the norm for levying superfast surcharge on passengers stays at 55 kmph on broad gauge and 45 kmph on meter gauge trains.

The Railway Board, in a latest order to normal managers of all zonal railways, mentioned, “Trains with maximum permissible speed up to 130 kmph shall not be treated as ‘high speed’. Only trains having maximum permissible speed of more than 130 kmph shall be treated as ‘high-speed’ trains.”

The board was responding to queries raised by completely different zonal railways on the necessity to revise the definition of ‘high-speed’ trains with the proposed enhance in speed up to 130 kmph of a majority of trains due to the proliferation of Linke Hoffman Busch (LHB) rakes.

The deployment of co-drivers or co-locopilots on ‘high-speed’ trains was additionally flagged.

After the difficulty was examined by a workforce comprising the Chairman, Railway Board; member, Traction & Rolling Stock; member, Operations & Business Development; and others, it was determined that no co-locopilot wants to be deployed on trains having speed up to 130 kmph.

However, a duly certified assistant locopilot (ALP) might be deployed for these trains. Such ALPs must be sufficiently skilled and able to attending failures en route, and within the occasion of the locopilot getting motionless/incapacitated, he ought to take the prepare to the closest station.

In the brand new scheme that will be applied on an experimental foundation for a interval of six months, the board mentioned the co-locopilots might be deployed on all trains having a speed of greater than 130 kmph no matter steady driving obligation, minimal distance between terminals, common speed of the prepare, size of route, and many others.

This association of redefining ‘high-speed’ trains and deploying co-locopilots comes months after the Ministry of Railways determined to increase the speed of trains to 130 kmph alongside the Golden Quadrilateral and Diagonals routes. In June 2019, the board directed that the sectional speed on the Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah route be enhanced to 130 kmph, with the approval of the Commissioner of Railway Safety.

On different routes (Howrah-Chennai, Chennai-Mumbai, Delhi-Chennai and Howrah-Mumbai), the elevated speed was deliberate by 2020-21. These routes, working over a stretch of 9,100 km, represent a large quantity of passenger and freight visitors within the railway community, sources within the Railways mentioned.

Superfast surcharge

However, even supposing a majority of trains are working on double-line BG and electrified routes with LHB rakes, the criterion to levy superfast surcharge stays at a median of 55 kmph on the BG routes, the sources mentioned.

In a word issued in 2007, the Railways mentioned if the common speed of a prepare is minimal 55 kmph on BG and 45 kmph on MG, it will be handled as a Superfast Train for the aim of levying superfast surcharge. The common speed is calculated by dividing the end-to-end distance by the full journey time.

The superfast surcharge on trains varies between ₹50 per passenger in AC First Class and ₹20 in Sleeper Class. Superfast surcharge can be levied on season ticket holders on month-to-month or quarterly foundation, the sources added.