Indian Rail Minister Mallikarjun Kharge has called for using latest technology to ensure high speed rail travel in the country. He asked experts to suggest what best can be done to achieve 160 to 200 kilometers per hour speed in the existing railway infrastrucure with marginal inputs.
Mr Kharge was speaking at the 2-day International Conference on High Speed Rail Travel – Low Cost Solutions in New Delhi today.
The Minister also formally launched the High Speed Rail Corporation of India Limited, a subsidiary of Rail Vikas Nigam Limited.
India has one of the largest rail networks in the world but does not have any high-speed rail lines capable of supporting speeds of 200 km/h (124 mph) or more. High-speed corridors have been proposed but not implemented.
Currently, the fastest train in India is the Bhopal Shatabdi, which has a top speed of 150 km/h (93 mph).