India
Indian Railways Advances Mission Raftaar to Cut Delhi-Mumbai Travel Time to 12 Hours
By Anish Mondal
Indian Railways is progressing with infrastructure upgrades on the New Delhi-Mumbai rail corridor as part of Mission Raftaar, an initiative aimed at enabling train operations at speeds of up to 160 kmph and reducing journey time between the two cities to around 12 hours.
Dr Shivam Sharma, Chief Public Relations Officer of North Central Railway, said the new 2×25 kV Chhata Traction Substation in the Agra Division was charged on September 7, marking a key milestone in the upgrade of the Palwal-Mathura section, a critical stretch of the route.
The Palwal-Mathura section spans 84 Route Kilometres and about 336 Track Kilometres. Upgrades are being carried out across multiple departments beyond power supply, including modifications to overhead equipment, installation of Super Masts and Auxiliary Earth Conductors, traction and power supply enhancements, signalling and telecommunications work, yard remodelling, and other civil and mechanical works necessary for high-speed operations.
Sharma noted that work on the Mathura-Bhuteshwar section is also advancing, with current efforts focused on completing Auxiliary Earth Conductor installation, mast erection, and commissioning of station areas.
Along with the newly energised Chhata substation, other power installations already commissioned include the Kosikalan, Mathura, and Sholaka substations. Additional commissioning is planned in the coming weeks: the Vrindavan substation is undergoing final testing, Kotwan substation testing is targeted for completion by September 15, and the Hodal/Ajhai facilities are expected to be commissioned within September. The RDE Traction Substation is targeted for September 25, while the Rundhi substation and its transmission line are scheduled for grid integration in October.
As part of the broader upgrade, Indian Railways plans to integrate a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system, which will allow remote monitoring and control of the power supply network from a control hub in Agra, enabling centralised oversight of the traction power system.
Separately, yard remodelling work at Mathura and Bhuteshwar is underway as part of Phase-II construction, which includes a new UP line, a fourth line, and cut-connection work at the Bhuteshwar yard.
Sharma said North Central Railway is coordinating efforts across departments with a target of September 30, 2026, to complete the major works. Once this infrastructure work concludes, the corridor will move closer to conducting high-speed trials.
The official said Mission Raftaar is designed to optimise the use of existing rail corridors by enabling significantly higher train speeds. For the New Delhi-Mumbai route, the planned 160 kmph operations are intended to shorten travel time and improve efficiency on one of India's busiest railway lines, with the eventual goal of a 12-hour journey between the two cities.