GREATER NOIDA: National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) will be using aerial light detection and ranging survey (LiDAR) technique for conducting a ground survey in order to finalise the detailed project report for the proposed 800km Delhi-Varanasi bullet train corridor. The Yamuna Expressway Authority has demanded a bullet train station at the Jewar airport site and a draft of the master plan has been shared with NHSRCL.
Officials said that a basic ground survey using aerial LiDAR technique — first adopted for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor — has already started, where reference points on the ground have been marked. The data collection through equipment mounted on a helicopter will commence from December 13 in order to finalise the DPR.
Sushma Gaur, spokesperson for NHSRCL, said, “Under the LiDAR technique, a combination of laser and GPS data is used along with flight parameters and actual photographs to give accurate survey data. Requisite permissions from the Union ministry of defence for flying a helicopter for the aerial survey have been received and the inspection of the aircraft and equipment are underway.”
Based on the findings of the survey, designing of the vertical and horizontal alignment, structures, location of the stations and depots, land requirement for the corridor, identification of project-affected plots and right of way will be decided, Gaur said.
While the Yamuna Expressway Authority has demanded one station of the proposed bullet train project at terminal one of the upcoming airport at Jewar, Noida International Airport Limited (NIAL) has shared the draft of the airport master plan with NHSRCL. “Once the bullet train begins operating, Jewar can be reached from Delhi’s Sarai Kale Khan railway station in 20 minutes. We expect the first phase of the corridor work to start from Delhi to Agra from 2022,” said Arun Vir Singh, CEO of YEIDA.
While the bullet train corridor alignment will cover mixed terrains, including densely populated urban and rural areas, highways, roads, ghats, rivers and green fields, NHSRCL will decide on the same in consultation with the government, officials said.
Meanwhile, the proposed plan for the bullet train corridor will connect the national capital territory of Delhi to major cities like Mathura, Agra, Etawah, Lucknow, Raebareli, Prayagraj, Bhadohi, Varanasi and Ayodhya. “The main corridor from Delhi to Varanasi (approx 800km) will also be connected to Ayodhya even as the route will also connect the upcoming international airport at Jewar in Gautam Budh Nagar,” said Gaur.