There is some good news for North Karnataka people. 80% of the railway line between Bengaluru and Hubballi has been upgraded to have a Maximum Permissible Speed (MPS) of 110 Kmph.
South Western Railway (SWR) is continuously working towards increasing the Maximum Permissible Speed to reduce the train journey across Karnataka.
Currently, the section between KSR Bengaluru and Devaragudda (near Ranebennur) has been upgraded to have a Maximum Permissible Speed of up to 110 Kmph. The breakup is as follows.
KSR Bengaluru to Devaragudda: 110 Kmph. Devaragudda to Saunshi near Hubballi: 100 Kmph. Saunshi till Hubli: 80 Kmph. The section between Devaragudda and Saunshi is likely to be upgraded to 110 Kmph soon.
The total rail distance between KSR Bengaluru and Hubballi is 469.7 Km. The distance between KSR Bengaluru to Devaragudda is 370.2 Km. So ~ 80% of the section has been upgraded to 110 Kmph.
Upgradation of Bengaluru-Hubballi-Dharwad Railway line to 130 Kmph: Plans are underway at the division level to upgrade the MPS of the Bengaluru-Hubballi-Dharwad railway line to 130 Kmph.
The upgradation of the line to 130 Kmph is likely to cost SWR a whopping ₹491.49 Crores. The increased sectional speed aims to enhance connectivity and reduce the travel time for passengers.
Also read: SWR to implement Automatic Signalling between Bengaluru and Arsikere.
SWR is successfully running Vande Bharat Express between KSR Bengaluru to Dharwad via Davanagere and Hubballi. The increased MPS is likely to benefit VB and other trains.
Once the entire section between Bengaluru and Dharwad has its Maximum Permissible Speed (MPS) upgraded to 130 Kmph, Vande Bharat Express is likely to cover the distance in 5 hours.