Bengaluru: The 161km rail route between Yelahanka in north Bengaluru and Dharmavaram in southern Andhra Pradesh will now see trains moving at a maximum speed of 130kmph.The stretch, sanctioned by the commissioner for rail safety (CRS) for the double-line corridor, has been approved by South Western Railway (SWR) chief track engineer Sunil N Masker. The route earlier had a maximum speed of 110kmph despite being a busy corridor for northeast-bound trains from Bengaluru.This line will become only the second section within Bengaluru division to be upgraded to 130kmph, after the Bengaluru-Jolarpettai one. A huge beneficiary of this upgrade will be the Yeshwantpur-Kacheguda Vande Bharat Express, a priority connection service between Bengaluru and Hyderabad.Vande Bharat trains are considered semi-high-speed trains, which can operate at a maximum speed of 160kmph. Though the upgrade still remains far from the train’s maximum potential, it is set to significantly bolster the average speed.Additionally, the quadrupled stretch between Byappanahalli and Bengaluru Cantonment is nearing completion. A statutory inspection and speed trial on the newly-laid third and fourth lines in the 5km stretch, including the Bengaluru East halt station, was carried out Tuesday and Wednesday by CRS. An SWR official confirmed that the inspection was successful and the authorisation was received from CRS to commission the stretch.
