The National High Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRCL) announced on Monday its plans to install 28 seismometers along the Mumbai-Ahmedabad ‘bullet train’ corridor for enhanced safety. Utilizing the ‘Early Earthquake Detection System’ based on Japanese Shinkansen technology, these seismometers aim to ensure the safety of passengers and critical infrastructure.
Out of the 28 seismometers, 22 will be strategically placed along the corridor, with eight in Maharashtra (Mumbai, Thane, Virar, and Boisar) and 14 in Gujarat (Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Mahembadad, and Ahmedabad). The remaining six, referred to as inland seismometers, will be installed in earthquake-prone areas such as Khed, Ratnagiri, Latur, Pangri in Maharashtra, and Adesar and Old Bhuj in Gujarat.
These seismometers will be strategically positioned in traction sub-stations and switching posts along the corridor. They will detect earthquake-induced tremors through primary waves, triggering an automatic power shutdown. In response, emergency brakes will be activated, causing trains in the affected area to come to a halt.
The selection of these installation sites followed a thorough survey by Japanese experts. The survey, coupled with a soil suitability study using micro tremor tests, aimed to identify areas along the high-speed corridor where earthquakes of magnitude greater than 5.5 have occurred in the past 100 years.