Lok Sabha Question No. 4403 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-30
Subject: Introducing High Speed Bullet Trains
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Dayanidhi Maran

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4403 TO BE ANSWERED ON 30.03.2022

## INTRODUCING HIGH SPEED BULLET TRAINS

4403.  SHRI DAYANIDHI MARAN:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Ministry has any plans to introduce high-speed bullet trains between the IT power centers of India-Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad and if so, the detail thereof;
- (b) whether the Ministry also has plans and proposals to enhance rail connectivity  between  the  aforesaid  locations  and  if  so,  the  details thereof;
- (c) whether the stations in Tamil Nadu have Wi-fi amenities and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) whether the stations in Tamil Nadu have implemented any thermal screening  and  contactless  payment  solutions  and  if  so,  the  details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, COMMUNICATIONS AND

ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a): At present, Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) Project is  the  only  sanctioned  project  of  High  Speed  Rail  in  India  which  is under execution with technical and financial assistance from Govt. of Japan.

Further,  the  Ministry  of  Railways  has  undertaken  the  work  for  the survey/Detailed  Project  Report  (DPR)  for  the  following  seven  High

Speed Rail (HSR) Corridor/Project:

- 
- Delhi - Varanasi
-  Delhi - Ahmedabad
- 
- Delhi - Amritsar
- 
- Mumbai - Nagpur
-  Mumbai - Pune - Hyderabad
-  Chennai - Bangalore - Mysore
-  Varanasi - Howrah

Being highly capital intensive projects,  the decision  to  sanction  any HSR  Corridor/Project  depends  on  many  factors  such  as  outcome  of and

DPR, techno-economic feasibility, availability of resources financing options.

- (b):    Introduction  of  train  services  is  an  ongoing  process  on  Indian Railways, subject to traffic justification, operational feasibility, commercial viability, availability of resources, etc. Works of doubling on certain patches connecting Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad are under various stages of execution.
- (c):  Yes, Sir. Wi-fi amenities have been provided in total 416 stations in the State of Tamil Nadu (403 in Southern Railway  and 13 in South Western Railway).
- (d):  Yes,  Sir.  On  account  of  the  pandemic  situation  prevalent  in  the country all major stations where mail/ express having stoppages are provided with equipment for thermal screening of passengers willing to gain entry into the platforms.

Thermal  Scanners  at  25  Stations  under  Southern  Railway  in  Tamil

Nadu have been provided. The details are as under:-

1. Chennai Division - 7
2. Tiruchchirappalli Division - 1
3. Madurai Division - 11

4. Salem Division - 5
5. Trivandrum Division - 1

Presently,  due  to  relaxation  in  the  covid  protocol,  this  facility  has been withdrawn.

As regard to contactless payment, the following options are provided for contactless payment solutions over this Railway viz,:

1. Unreserved Ticketing System (UTS) on Mobile application.
2. Automatic  Ticket  Vending  Machine  (ATVM)  (QR  code  based payment)
3. Unified Payments Interface (UPI) payment at Passenger Reservation System (PRS)/UTS counters.
4. Online  tickets  through  Indian  Railway  Catering  and  Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).
5. Digital  payment  option  using  Point  of  Sale  (POS)  machine  is also implemented.

ATVMs  at  44  Stations  under  Southern  Railway  in  Tamil  Nadu  have been provided. The details are as under:-

- 1.
- 2.
- 3.
- 4.
- Chennai Division - 19
- Tiruchchirappalli Division - 5
- Madurai Division - 14
- Salem Division - 6

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