The Modi government plans to construct an e-highway, Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, through a 1,300 km long road project.
As a result of rapid urbanization, India’s vehicular pollution has increased at an alarming rate. And this unbelievable speed of motorization can be seen by the rising number of registered vehicles in the country.
The Indian population increased 700 times between 1951 and 2015, from 0.3 to 210 million. This is according to the environmental study Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).
The public transport system states, “Every car or two-wheeler trip pollutes seven to 14 times more than a trip made in a bus in New Delhi.”
The Delhi-Mumbai Highway project
The Indian government’s recent efforts to develop electric vehicles are a leapfrog to Bharat Stage VI (BS-VI) emissions standards. The new vehicle scrappage policy reflects the Centre’s commitment to addressing pollution concerns.
Presently, the union transport ministry is considering a more innovative solution to control its vehicle pollution. It’s looking to construct a separate highway on the 1,300 Km long Delhi-Mumbai Expressway. This highway can make trucks and buses run at a speed of 120 Kmph.
In May 2019, Germany introduced the technology on 6 miles long stretch near Frankfurt city. It uses 670-volt DC overhead cables. This let electric trucks draw down power and recharge their batteries on the Movement.
Furthermore, on Thursday, the Road Transport and Highway Minister Nitin Gadkari said, “the company- Siemens has used this technology and constructed a similar road in Germany.”
The e-Highway Specification
Siemens says that the technology, without significant effort, can be integrated and operated within the existing road infrastructure. It can also combine the efficiency of electrified railroads with trucks’ flexibility and energy consumption while maintaining full mobility.
At the moment, the plan is yet to be approved. However, the Road Transport and Highway Minister Nitin Gadkari estimate that the step would bring the logistics cost down by 70%.
Moreover, the upcoming Delhi-Mumbai highway project construction work will be completed in 51 packages. Once the project work is completed, the Delhi-Mumbai highway length will be 1,320 km.
Then this highway is set to become one of the country’s longest expressways. Earlier, it has been reported that with the opening of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, the travel time between the national capital and financial capital would reduce to 12 to 13 hours from 24 hours.
The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway project also offers easier connectivity to Kota, Jaipur, Chittorgarh, Ujjain, Indore, Ahmedabad, Bhopal, and Vadodara. Besides, once this highway is opened, travel time and distance reduction are expected to have significant economic benefits.
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