Railway Pilot Project Aims At Securing Mumbai-Ahmedabad Tracks With Metal Fencing To Ensure Cattle-Free Run

Similar to crash barrier on national highways, Indian Railways has decided to erect five feet high metal fences along the Mumbai-Ahmedabad and Baroda-Ratlam rail line.

This pilot project is aimed at preventing cattle run-over on the tracks.

Instead of constructing cemented walls or barbed structure, there will be metal fencing on both sides of the rail tracks to make the line safe.

The track fencing is also essential for running trains at a higher speed of 160 kmph or more to ensure uninterrupted train journey on the ground level. 

While the proposed bullet train between Mumbai and Ahmedabad and the RRTS train between Delhi and Meerut are also slated to run on the elevated tracks.

According to the new design under consideration by the railways, the height of the fencing would be about 5 feet only and it would be erected close to both sides of the line leaving very little space for the cattle to graze.

"We are considering metallic fencing which is very similar to the crash barrier erected at National Highways. This is also not very expensive and seems to be cheaper than other methods," said a senior railway official involved in the fencing exercise.

The cost of the new design fencing is being worked out and efforts are on to make it less than the earlier estimated cost of Rs 70 lakh per km.

Though Vande Bharat Express is operational on five routes now, nowhere these semi-high speed trains are running at maximum speed of 160 kmph because of speed restriction and fence-less tracks.

Once the track is fenced off and strengthened, trains can run at a maximum speed of 160 kmph, said the official.

Mumbai-Ahmedabad and Baroda-Ratlam routes are being selected on a pilot basis for erecting metal fencing. If the pilot project becomes successful then this design would be opted in other routes as well.

The Western Railways has been asked to do the pilot project on a faster mode so that it can be replicated on other zones as well.