india's fastest train can run at 185-190 km/h but usually run at 150km/h.....(bhopal to new delhi shatabdi express) now, the new indeginous fastest train in india is going to be unvieled soon(BHIM) which can run at 210km/h..
Some BD people here are talking about buying very expensive German locomotives on the ground that these can pull trains at a faster speed such as 200km/h (?). It is like asking a helipad to work as a runway for jets. Thing is BD rly lines are not compatible to high speed trains.
It is same like Corolla Sedan being fitted with a Benz engine. They are certainly not compatible with each other. Please note the following to understand why there cannot be high speed trains in BD:
1) The thickness of ballast/stone layers under the sleepers and lines is insufficient. The minimum thickness shall be 50cm with about 4inch size broken stones.
2) In many cases only highly burnt broken bricks are used instead of ballast/stones. This practice should be stopped.
3) Sleepers are still wooden. No reinforced concrete or steel sleepers are in use. Wooden sleepers must be replaced with R.C. concrete and steel ones fitted very strongly with the lines above.
4) The trains are not run by electricity, but by diesel and sometimes by coal (?). Diesel cannot pull speeedily, but electricity can.
5) A highspeed train that is supposed to run at a certain speed requires a cetain weight per meter. BD rly. lines are all light weight which were designed for low speed trains. So, these must also be replaced with heavy ones.
So, pending the overhauling works BD cannot buy and run faster German electric trains on the present railway lines. BD has to cut its cloth according to its size. Indian locomotives will just suit our lines. Some people are arguing these bad quality locomotives will need repair.
I think, it is also a good omen. Why not BD Rly. engineers pull over their shirt sleeves and work with the repairing by themselves? It will give them an opportunity to know how these are built. You see, we are Babu people. It is a shame for us to dirt our Babu hands. The result is now a dependence upon other countries.