Over the last two years, the fastest train in the country, Vande Bharat Express, has been running at an average speed of around 83 kmph. Interestingly, it is capable of hitting a maximum of 180 kmph. However, because of poor track conditions, it is running under 100 kmph, an RTI reply has revealed, a PTI report said.
Filed by Madhya Pradesh-based Chandra Shekhar Gaur, the RTI informed that the average speed of the semi-high-speed train was 84.48 kmph in 2021-22, while the same was 81.38 kmph in 2022-23.
Vande Bharat’s desired speed is work in progress
Due to track conditions, officials said, the Vande Bharat trains have been capped at 130 kmph for commercial operations. However, the trains are unable to hit even this speed limit over most stretches in the network, they further said.
Officials informed the rail network is being upgraded so that these trains can attain higher speeds in the future, the PTI report said.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Mumbai CSMT-Sainagar Shirdi Vande Bharat Express has the lowest average speed of around 64 kmph. The fastest average is maintained by New Delhi-Varanasi Vande Bharat Express. It runs at an average speed of 95 kmph.
Operated by the Indian Railways, the Vande Bharat Express is an electric multiple-unit train. It was designed by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO). Manufacturing is done by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF). 14 of these are currently operational on prime routes.
The Indian Railways has ambitious plans for these trains. They can cut the average travel time by several hours on many routes. While the existing versions of the trains are only chair cars, Indian Railways plans to present sleeper versions soon.
The future version of Vande Bharat will be able to attain a top speed of 200 km per hour.