Ahmedabad: Electrification works have started on the 508km Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train corridor while civil construction and track laying gather pace. The entire stretch will be equipped with early earthquake detection seismometers, officials said.The MAHSR corridor is being equipped with an advanced overhead traction system, an electrification technology used worldwide for high-speed rail. This technology is being introduced in India for the first time and is specifically designed to provide a stable and uninterrupted power supply required for trains operating at very high speeds of up to 320 kmph.Electricity will flow from the national power grid to specially designed grid substations and then to 14 traction substations located along the corridor. Of these 14 traction substations, five are in Maharashtra (Mumbai, Thane, Virar, Boisar and Thane). The remaining are in Gujarat — one each at Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Mahemdabad, Ahmedabad and Sabarmati depots.These substations will feed power to different sections of the route, ensuring that as the bullet train moves from one section to another, the transition in power supply takes place seamlessly. The distribution substations will also provide electricity for stations, signalling systems, maintenance facilities and other operational infrastructure.The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited stated that each of the 14 traction substations will be equipped with early earthquake detection seismometers, capable of detecting seismic activity and initiating protective actions within seconds to stop the trains immediately in case of an earthquake.In total, 28 seismometers are being installed – 22 along the high-speed corridor at traction substations and switching posts, and six additional inland seismometers in earthquake-prone regions of Gujarat and Maharashtra.Of the 28 seismometers, 16 will be in Gujarat and 12 in Maharashtra.
