In Golden Quadrilateral – Golden Diagonal (GQ-GD) railway route, the national transporter has enhanced the maximum speed to 130 Km per hour for 1,280 kilometres out of 1,612 Kilometres. According to the Railway Ministry, this covers the entire GQ-GD route over the South Central Railway zone, except the section between Vijayawada and Duvvada, where the work of signaling upgradation is in progress. Indian Railways achieved the enhanced speed on these routes because of planned and systematic strengthening of track as well as its infrastructure by removing bottlenecks in these sections at a fast pace, including heavier rails, improvement of curves and gradients, laying of 260 meters long welded rail panels among others.
Utilizing the opportunity of the COVID-19 lockdown period and low train movement last year, Indian Railways completed all necessary upgradation works. Based on these improvements, oscillation trials were conducted by the RDSO/Lucknow through Confirmatory Oscillograph Car Run comprising of instrumented coaches of all classes at 130 Km per hour speed during the months of July and October last year. To enhance the maximum speed limits to 130 km per hour, the South Central Railway zone of Indian Railways got permission along the following routes
1) 744 Rkm long Golden Diagonal (Grand Trunk)
i) 234 Rkm long section from Ballarshah to Kazipet
ii) 510 Rkm long Kazipet-Vijayawada-Gudur section
2) 536 Rkm long Golden Quadrilateral Route (Chennai-Mumbai section)
i) 281 Rkm long section from Renigunta to Gooty
ii) 255 Rkm long section from Gooty to Wadi
In the High-Density Network (HDN) between 132 km long Secunderabad – Kazipet section, the maximum speed limits had been enhanced to 130 Km per hour already. As such, according to the Railway Ministry, in these sections including both the Up and Down railway lines, 2,824 Kilometres (1412 Rkm) in total has now been made fit to run at 130 Km per hour speed.