LiDAR survey for Delhi-Varanasi high speed rail corridor begins from Noida

The Light Detection and Ranging Survey for Delhi-Varanasi High-Speed Rail (DVHSR) Corridor began on Sunday from Greater Noida, where a helicopter fitted with state-of-art Aerial LiDAR and imagery sensors took the first flight and captured the data related to the ground survey, informed the Ministry of Railways.

The proposed plan for DVHSR Corridor will connect Delhi with major cities like Mathura, Agra, Etawah, Lucknow, Raebareli, Prayagraj, Bhadohi, Varanasi and Ayodhya.

The main corridor from Delhi to Varanasi (approximately 800 km) will also be connected to Ayodhya. The High-Speed Rail (HSR) route will also connect the upcoming international airport at Jewar in Gautam Buddha Nagar District of Uttar Pradesh.

"The ground survey is a crucial activity for any linear infrastructure project as the survey provides accurate details of areas around the alignment. This technique uses a combination of Laser data, GPS data, flight parameters and actual photographs to give accurate survey data," the Ministry said.

National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited is adopting LiDAR technology which will provide all the ground details and data in three-four months wherein this process normally takes 10-12 months.

Around 86 master control points and 350 secondary control points have been established and these coordinates are being used for flying the aircraft on Delhi-Varanasi HSR corridor alignment, as per the nine standard benchmarks set by the Survey of India in this field.

Also, 60-megapixel cameras are being used for the LiDAR survey, to provide clear pictures of the structures, trees and other minute ground details.

Detailed project report for Delhi Varanasi High-Speed Rail Corridor was submitted to the Ministry of Railways on October 29, 2020.

NHSRCL has been entrusted to prepare the Detailed Project Reports for seven High-Speed Rail Corridors and LiDAR survey technique will be used for ground survey in all the corridors.