Surat: In a major milestone for India’s first bullet train project, the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) will begin energising the first section of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor from Nov 20. The Surat-Bilimora elevated section will be the first to receive power through its overhead equipment (OHE), marking a major step towards the operational readiness of the ambitious project.NHSRCL has issued a safety advisory cautioning stakeholders and members of the public against entering the Surat-Bilimora section without authorisation, as the overhead traction wires will carry high-voltage electricity.According to a notice issued by the corporation’s electrical department, the 2 × 25,000-volt AC traction system (50 Hz) overhead equipment will be energised on or after Nov 20. The overhead traction lines will thereafter be treated as live at all times. No unauthorised person should approach or undertake any work in the vicinity of the electrified lines, the notice stated.The 508-km Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) corridor is being equipped with an advanced overhead traction system, among the most sophisticated railway electrification technologies used in high-speed rail networks worldwide. This is the first time such a system is being deployed for a high-speed railway in India.Designed to support train operations at speeds of up to 320 kmph, the technology will ensure a stable and uninterrupted power supply throughout the corridor.Electricity will be drawn from the National Power Grid and routed through specially designed grid substations to 14 traction substations strategically located along the corridor. Of these, nine are in Gujarat — Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Mahemdabad, Ahmedabad and Sabarmati Depot — while the remaining five are in Maharashtra, at Mumbai, Thane, Virar, Boisar and Thane Depot.These substations will supply power to different sections of the route, ensuring seamless transitions in electricity supply as trains move from one section to another.The corridor will also have 31 switching posts to maintain an uninterrupted power supply and facilitate the quick isolation of faults whenever necessary. In addition, 16 distribution substations are being constructed to supply electricity to stations, signalling systems, maintenance facilities and other operational infrastructure.The overhead electrification network will comprise nearly 22,000 steel masts and more than 25,700 cantilever assemblies across 1,125 track kilometres, including depots.Standing between 10.5 and 14.5 metres tall — equivalent to a three- to four-storey building — these masts will support an advanced compound catenary system, another technology being introduced in India for the first time.To enable operations at speeds of up to 320 kmph, the overhead wires will be installed under precisely calculated mechanical tension. This will allow the train’s pantograph to draw electricity smoothly and continuously, minimising sparking, interruptions and fluctuations in power supply.GETCO grid to power Gujarat traction substationsThe traction substations (TSS) in Gujarat will receive electricity from the Gujarat Energy Transmission Corporation Limited’s (Getco) 220 kV Ambetha grid substation. Power will subsequently be supplied to the overhead equipment along the viaduct through the advanced 2 × 25 kV traction power supply system adopted for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train corridor.
