Vande Bharat Express: India's Fastest Train Running At Average 83 Kmph Speed, Reveals RTI

As per an RTI reply, Vande Bharat Express - the India's fastest train - is not running at 180 kmph, which is its top speed. Instead, the semi-high speed train has been running at an average speed of around 83 kmph. As per a report on PTI, the semi-high speed train has been running at very low average speeds due to poor track conditions, which limits the top speed of the train, designed to touch 180 kmph. However, officials said the average speed of Vande Bharat trains is better than Rajdhani and Shatabdi Express trains due to its faster acceleration/deceleration. During this period, a train on one route hit an average speed of 95 kmph.

The RTI further revealed that over the last two years, due to poor track conditions, the train had a permissible top speed of 130 kmph for commercial services. The RTI, filed by Madhya Pradesh-based Chandra Shekhar Gaur, said the average speed of the semi high-speed train was 84.48 kmph in 2021-22 and 81.38 kmph in 2022-23.

While the Mumbai CSMT-Sainagar Shirdi Vande Bharat Express has the lowest average speed of around 64 kmph, the fastest average is maintained by the country's first Vande Bharat Express train -- the New Delhi-Varanasi Vande Bharat Express -- that was launched in 2019 and runs at an average speed of 95 kmph.

The Rani Kamalapati (Habibganj) - Hazrat Nizamuddin Vande Bharat Express comes a close second, maintaining an average speed of 94 kmph. The train on this route also touched the highest speed for a Vande Bharat train, hitting 161 kmph on its inaugural run itself.

"One has to understand that no mode of transport can maintain its maximum speed throughout its journey. The condition of the surface it is running on determines its speed. The average speed of each Vande Bharat train in every section is faster than the fastest train of that section. For example, it is running with maximum permissible speed of 160 kmph between Agra Cantt - Tughlakabad," a Railway official said.

The manufacture of the first version of Vande Bharat train -- called "Train-2018" -- was completed in October 2018. During the test runs, the train achieved an operational speed of 180 kmph.

The railways has ambitious plans for these trains -- 14 of which are currently operational on prime routes, cutting the average travel time by a few hours on several of them. While the current iteration of the trains are only chair cars, the national transporter plans to introduce sleeper versions soon.

Officials said while these trains are built to run at high speed, the rail network is also being upgraded so that Vande Bharat-like trains can attain higher speeds in the future.
The advanced version of Vande Bharat trains will be able to attain a maximum speed of 200 kmph.

The Vande Bharat Express is an electric multiple-unit train operated by the Indian Railways. It was designed by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation and manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai. The officials asserted that the speed of such trains depend on the track conditions.