The project falls under the administrative jurisdiction of North Western Railway (NWR). (Image generated using AI)
Indian Railways’ first high-speed test track: RITES has received a Letter of Acceptance (LoA) from Lucknow-based Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) for maintaining Indian Railways‘ first high-speed test track in Rajasthan. Developed at a cost of Rs 967 crore, the facility is located between Gudha and Thathana Mithri in the Nawa region of the Jodhpur Division, about 70 km from Jaipur. The project falls under the administrative jurisdiction of North Western Railway (NWR).
“RITES has received Letter of Acceptance from Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO), Lucknow for Comprehensive maintenance contract of dedicated test track between Gudha and Thathana Mithri stations of Jodhpur division of NWR,” it said in a statement.
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The contract is to be executed over a period of 60 months from the date of issuance of the LoA. The contract value stands at Rs 105.69 crore, excluding GST.
High speed railway testing track in India
Developed by RDSO, the 64-km-long dedicated test track is designed for comprehensive testing of rolling stock. The high-speed test track will support a maximum speed of 220 kmph. It includes building seven major bridges, 129 smaller bridges, and four stations (Gudha, Jabdinagar, Nawan, and Mithadi). The entire project is targeted for completion by March 2026.
Udaipur-Asarva Vande Bharat train gets new stoppage
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Railways has revised the stoppage of Udaipur-Asarva Vande Bharat Express. This semi-high-speed train was introduced last month.
In a statement, Amit Sudarshan, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of North Western Railway said: “For the convenience of rail passengers, the Railways is providing a temporary halt—on an experimental basis and until further orders-for the Udaipur City-Asarva-Udaipur City Vande Bharat Express service at Shamlaji Road Station.”
