Delhi–Kolkata high-speed rail corridor

Delhi–Kolkata high-speed rail corridor
Overview
StatusApproved
LocaleDelhi
Uttar Pradesh
Bihar
Jharkhand
West Bengal
Termini
StationsTBA
Service
TypeHigh-speed rail
Operator(s)Indian Railways
Technical
Line length1,669 km (1,037 mi)
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Electrification25 kV AC overhead lines
Operating speed320 km/h (200 mph)
Route map

New Delhi
Agra Cantonment
Kanpur Central
Lucknow Charbagh
Patna Junction
Gaya Junction
Dhanbad Junction
Asansol Junction
Barddhaman Junction
Howrah Junction

The Delhi–Kolkata high-speed rail corridor is one of the route of the proposed high-speed rail in India. The line is part of the Diamond Quadrilateral Program, which seeks to unite the cities of New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai via high speed rail. This travels along the Howrah-Delhi main line from Tundla to Howrah. The train expects to cut the journey time for the 1,500 km (930 mi) between the national capital of India, New Delhi, and the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, the city of Kolkata, to just 5 hours 30 minutes.

According to the British company Mott McDonald, which undertook a pre-feasibility study of the project, the estimated cost for construction will be around 5 trillion (US$59 billion). The speed expected is 200–320 km/h (120–200 mph). A second phase of the project has been already taken up to extend the corridor to the Howrah Terminus (Howrah Railway Station) in the metropolitan city of Kolkata.

Currently, the international consortium INECO-TYPSA-ICT is carrying out the feasibility study.