Mumbai-Ahmedabad HSR’s 28 Seismometers for Earthquake Warning

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor, also known as the bullet train project, is set to become the first railway project in India to have an Early Earthquake Detection System (EEDS) to ensure the safety of passengers and critical infrastructure during earthquakes. The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL), which is implementing the project, announced on Monday that it will install 28 seismometers along the route of the bullet train, which will pass through regions with seismic vulnerabilities, including Kutch, Koyna-Warna, and Latur-Osmanabad .

The seismometers will be based on the Japanese Shinkansen technology, which has an impressive safety record in over 55 years of operations. The seismometers will detect earthquake-induced tremors through primary waves and enable an automatic power shutdown. Emergency brakes will be activated when the power shutdown is detected and the trains running in the affected area will stop .

Out of the 28 seismometers, 22 will be installed along the alignment of the bullet train. Of these, eight will be in Maharashtra (Mumbai, Thane, Virar and Boisar) and 14 will be in Gujarat (Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Mahembadad and Ahmedabad). The remaining six seismometers, termed as inland seismometers, will be installed in earthquake-prone areas such as Khed, Ratnagiri, Latur and Pangri in Maharashtra, as well as Adesar and Old Bhuj in Gujarat .

The sites for installing the seismometers were selected after a detailed survey and soil suitability study through a micro-tremor test by Japanese experts. The areas near the alignment where earthquakes greater than 5.5 magnitude have occurred in the past 100 years were surveyed .

The EEDS is expected to enhance the passenger safety and protect the critical infrastructure of the bullet train project, which is estimated to cost Rs 1.08 lakh crore and cover a distance of 508 km between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. The project is expected to be completed by 2028 .