Before bullet trains become a reality in India, the Indian Railways is gearing up to reduce the travel time between Mumbai and Delhi. Indian railways is all set to introduce semi-high-speed trains, which have a top speed of 200 kmph.

An official from the railways said that a study to identify the need to strengthen the infrastructure for this service was nearing completion. They also said that work is expected to begin soon and could be completed in the year 2017.

R. Ramanathan,  the Railway Board additional member said, “A study was on for the past one year to identify bridges that needed strengthening, better signaling and easing sharp curves for such service. The upgrade will take about four years from the launch of work.” The official also said that the existing lines can be used for fast moving trains at 200 kmph as freight trains will shift to the dedicated freight corridor.

Ramanathan was speaking at the sidelines of a CII summit on urban transport on November 22, 2012. At present, the Rajdhani is the fastest India train in the corridor and has maximum speeds of 120 kmph. RK Gupta, the managing director of DFC said that the lines for freight trains will reduce congestion on existing tracks.