What do you think Spanish technology and experience can bring to our corridor?

I am sure that, under the leadership of Ineco, a Spanish public company with extensive experience in different HSR systems, the consortium will do a fantastic job. I wish them every success in their endeavors. Furthermore, during our visit to Spain in September 2014, we noted that several different systems and technologies had been used to develop the Spanish High-Speed Rail system network, which is the second largest in the world. This knowledge will allow Ineco to provide us with comparative analyses and conclusive technical recommendations.

What was your impression from the visit?

I believe that it was a great success. Our technical experts could see various technologies at work, used to create HSR infrastructures and operate HSR trains. The most interesting things were the gauge changing train, the different traction systems and the signalling and train control systems. The delegation was also impressed by the high-maintenance quality of the tracks and rolling stock.

Coming back to the project, what is the current service level of the existing line between Delhi and Kolkata?

The passenger trains between Delhi and Kolkata currently run at 120-130 km/h. There are various classes on offer to passengers, including First Class Air Conditioned, Two-tier Air Conditioned Sleeper, Three-tier Air Conditioned and the Three-tier Non-Air Conditioned Sleeper, as well as a general, non-reservable class. There are about 17 trains each way every day, which carry around 900-1,400 passengers each.

What kind of comfort levels and technical standards is HSRC currently considering for the new high-speed rail lines?

HSRC is a project development agency whose technical standards are determined by the Ministry of Railways. As part of Indian Railways, there is a specific organisation called Research, Design & Standards Organization (RDSO) which is helping to improve technical standards. Nonetheless, this contract includes a comparative study of the different technologies available on the international market. The most important areas include civil engineering structures, rail tracks, traction systems, the power supply system, the control system, signalling, telecommunications, rolling stock and automatic fare
collection technology. The railway tariffs in India are highly subsidized.

Our technicians were impressed by the high quality of maintenance of the Spanish network

In your opinion, what are the challenges involved in introducing high-speed rail lines with speeds up to 250km/h?

Constructing a new high-speed rail line will bring many challenges. For HSRC, the most complex task will be securing funds, acquiring land and completing the project on time. In any case, the study’s conclusions and recommendations will have a big impact on this question’s answer.

The number of passengers in India will continue to grow –will the Diamond Quadrilateral project address this growth? Or at the very least, will the project reduce traffic congestion?

The HSR lines will really boost the existing network’s passenger capacity, as the operation will be a lot faster, with more passenger trains that will probably be more frequent. This will allow for a reduction in traffic congestion, not only on the railway network but also on the roads.

What kind of economic growth do you expect this new line to generate?

Historically, Kolkata has been a very important port city for eastern India. Nowadays it is the capital of the state of West Bengal. It was the capital of India for a short while, before the country gained independence. Linking Delhi to Kolkata via HSR will give an extra economic boost to an already economically important region.

Spanish engineering and its 3,000 kilometres of AVE has made an impression on the country with one of the most extensive rail networks in the world. A team of engineers and experts from Ineco, Typsa an ICT have been working since 2015 on examining down to the last detail the feasibility study for the future high-speed line that will connect the capital New Delhi with Kolkata.

After years of postponed initiatives, the current government –the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)– led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given a definitive push to implement the high-speed line between its four main cities: New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai. These four metropolises together have a population of 55 million people in a country with 1,276 billion inhabitants (one sixth of the world’s population). New Delhi has a metropolitan area of around 17 million inhabitants, Mumbai, 18, Kolkata, 14, and Chennai, formerly Madras, around 6 million.

The current government has given a definitive push to implement high speed in the country

Modi has made the industrial development of the country the central focus of his mandate, represented by the ‘Make in India’ campaign, which aims to promote internal production and reduce dependence on foreign countries. To stimulate his economy, the construction of infrastructure, particularly railways and roads, are crucial. Since his arrival to the government in summer 2014, the Prime Minister has implemented the Diamond Quadrilateral Program, a diamond with four corners, which includes the cities of New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai, separated by more than 1,000 kilometres and connected by modern rail infrastructure: the seed of India’s future high-speed network. The project of this corridor covers 14 states and will serve as an economic driver as well as contributing to rejuvenate the country’s very old rail network, in which every day 18,000 trains operate, around 23 million passengers travel and around 2.6 million tonnes of goods are transported.

Although trains are the mode of transport most used in India –the country is literally knit together with a network of 64,460 kilometres– modernisation of its infrastructure and improved travel times and safety are issues that need to be resolved, which new investments aim to remedy.

Ineco was helped in the awarding of this tender by the support and commercial coordination of the Spain Business Overseas office in India. From New Delhi, its delegate Pedro Sinués has remarked that “the ability and technical experience of Spanish companies has allowed them to achieve the Diamond Quadrilateral tender, which has placed India on the international high-speed map”. “Proof of it –added Sinués– is that the consortium led by Ineco competed against 11 other international consortiums. As such, it becomes more important that two Ineco-led Spanish companies can apply their knowledge acquired in Spain to such an emblematic corridor (connecting what was the capital of India until 1911 with the current capital) and it is important in the socioeconomic structuring of the country”.

The amount awarded is over two million euros and the execution period is one year

The study, commissioned by the state company High Speed Rail Corporation of India Ltd. (HSRC), includes demand studies; prior analysis of route alternatives; calculation of journey times; selection of rail technology to implement (track gauge, track superstructure, electrification, communications and safety installations, etc.); necessary special works; regeneration and resettlement of affected populated areas; environmental analysis; rolling stock and operation and maintenance. Lastly, an economic-financial analysis will be carried out that will be used to determine the feasibility of the new line as well as the most adequate method of funding. The amount awarded is over two million euros and the execution period is one year.

The length of the corridor is around 1,500 kilometres and it passes through cities of great commercial, social and touristic interest, such as New Delhi, Agra (the city of the well-known Taj Mahal), Aligarh, Kanpur, Lucknow, Allahabad, Mughal, Varanasi, Sarai, Patna, Gaya, Dhanbad, Asansol, Durgapur and Kolkata. The line runs through quite a flat area, near the river Ganges, and crosses various rivers and streams, which will require the design of viaducts.

For Félix Zapata, technical director of the project and Ineco engineer, “the work basically consists of analysing the feasibility of its construction, bearing in mind its financial cost and the social advantages that it will bring. Furthermore, we will offer the most appropriate financial model for its implementation”. “The works –adds Zapata– are aimed at achieving speeds and levels of comfort and safety within the modern high-speed standards. For this purpose, we will propose the most appropriate rail technology: type of track (ballast, slab track), electrification, communications and safety installations, rolling stock, specifications for the operation and maintenance of the new high-speed line, etc.”

The extensive Indian rail network has great potential and its own industry, but also many challenges: only 33% of its network is electrified, there are few fibre optic networks, they lack enclosure, stations do not have ticket purchasing systems or safety controls, etc. The project includes adaptation of the current stations to high speed or, failing that, the proposal of the location and preliminary design of new stations. As such, the construction of rail infrastructure with the characteristics mentioned previously will be a very important advancement in the Indian rail network.

In 2014, Ineco conducted a feasibility study on the high-speed rail connection between Haldia and Howrah for Indian Railways, a study carried out with the Spanish companies Ayesa and Prointec, which is part of the projects planned in the Diamond Quadrilateral. Furthermore, in 2009, Ineco provided technical assistance for the works of the Mumbai metro.