The Indian Railways is one of the largest and fastest railways in the world, with a total capacity of carrying more than 1.5 million passengers per day. The Indian government has decided to start semi-high speed trains and high-speed bullet trains in India in the near future.
Currently, Indian trains run with relatively slow speed due to speed restrictions and old infrastructure. Once, new and improved rail lines will be laid, Indian Railways will start high-speed trains on different routes. Do you know which is the fastest train in India in 2020? Which train achieves the maximum speed in India?
All your queries regarding the fastest trains in India and high-speed trains in India will be solved. Let’s see the list of top 5 fastest passenger trains in India:
1) Vande Bharat Express (22435/22436 and 22439/22440)
Top Speed: 180 km/h
Route: 1. New Delhi – Varanasi (22436) 2. Delhi – Katra (22439)
The New Delhi-Varanasi Vande Bharat Express, India’s first indigenous built Trainset, aimed at providing travellers with a comfortable and enhanced transport service, completes the first year of its successful run, raking up revenue from Rs 93 crore, a record for the Indian Railways.
In October 2018, Vande Bharat Express, India’s first semi-high-speed train, also known as Train-18, was built at Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai, at an approximate cost of Rs 98 crore. The train set is without a locomotive like the Metro train and can run on a distributive power grid.
On 15 February last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and dedicated the train to the country, and two days later it commenced its commercial journey from New Delhi to Varanasi (17 February 2019).
The Vande Bharat Express is currently the fastest passenger train in India. Hauled by electric locomotive WAP-5, it can reach a maximum speed of 180 km/h. At present 2 rakes of Vande Bharat Express trains are running in the Indian Railways network. They are Varanasi-New Delhi Vande Bharat Express and Delhi-Katra Vande Bharat Express.
Timings: This train departs at 06:00 from the source station (New Delhi) to arrive at the destination station at 14:00. The total duration of the train from New Delhi Railway Station to Varanasi Junction is 8h 0m. On its return journey, it starts from Varanasi at 15:00 and arrives in New Delhi at 23:00.
Days of Journey: Vande Bharat Express runs from New Delhi Railway Station on 5 days a week (Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun). There are 4 stoppages between New Delhi Railway Station and Varanasi Junction.
Facilities: It has 16 coaches which are air-conditioned. All coaches have a car body in stainless steel fitted with automatic doors with sliding footsteps, onboard train control computers, and remote monitoring.
The coaches also have an audiovisual passenger information system based on GPS, onboard Wi-Fi hotspot and comfortable seating arrangements.
2) Gatimaan Express (12049/12050)
Top Speed: 160 km/h
Route: Delhi – Jhansi. It covers important cities of India like New Delhi, Agra, Gwalior, and Jhansi.
Gatimaan Express, launched in 2016, was known to be India’s fastest train until Vande Bharat Express was launched. Running at a speed of 160 km/h, Gatimaan Express takes just 100 minutes to cover the distance (188 km) between Delhi and Agra.
The journey begins from Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station and ends at Agra Cantonment. This marvellous train is just another feather in the Indian Railways hat. It is definitely one of the most luxurious trains in India.
Opt for Gatimaan Express’ 2-day tour, which will not only take you to some of Agra ‘s popular Mughal City attractions but will also provide you with luxurious facilities when you’re on board. The onboard decor, services and meals are simply charming.
You’ll visit breathtaking architectural marvels such as the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri and more during the well-planned itinerary.
Timings: The train leaves Hazrat Nizamuddin at 8:10 am IST and halts at Agra Cantt. around 09:50 am and departs from Agra at 09:55 am to reach Gwalior at around 11:15 am.
Days of Journey: Daily except for Friday
Facilities: Gatimaan Express is a luxurious train in India and provides world-class facilities to its passengers. Some of these facilities are:
- Automatic fire alarm
- Emergency braking system
- Passenger information system
- Sliding doors
- 8-inch LCDs on the back of every seat
- Free Wi-fi availability
- Hotspot and Multimedia services
- Train hostesses
- Bio-toilets
3) New Delhi – Bhopal Shatabdi Express (12001/12002)
Top Speed: 150 km/h
Route: New Delhi – Habibganj (Bhopal). It covers major cities like New Delhi, Mathura Junction, Agra Cantonment, Gwalior, Jhansi, Bhopal & Habibganj.
The New Delhi Bhopal Habibganj Shatabdi Express is a train run by Northern Railways and operating between New Delhi, India’s capital city, and Habibganj, a suburban railway station in Bhopal, the state capital of Madhya Pradesh. This train remained the fastest train in India for a long time until the launch of Gatimaan Express in 2016.
With a top permissible speed of 150 km/h between New Delhi – Agra railway section, Bhopal Shatabdi Express runs at an average speed of 84 km/h including halts.
New Delhi Bhopal Shatabdi Express is one of the highest priority trains in Indian Rail network. It gets the second most priority after Rajdhani Express trains.
Timings: It departs at 06:00 from the source station (New Delhi) to arrive at the destination station at 14:25. Total time taken by the train to go from New Delhi Railway Station to Bhopal Habibganj Railway Station is 8h 25m.
Days of Journey: Bhopal Shatabdi runs from New Delhi Railway Station on 7 days a week. There are 10 stoppages between New Delhi Railway Station and Bhopal Habibganj Railway Station.
4) Mumbai – New Delhi Rajdhani Express (12951/12952)
Top Speed: 140 km/h
Route: New Delhi – Mumbai. It covers some important Indian cities like Surat, Vadodara, Ratlam, Kota, and New Delhi.
The Mumbai New Delhi Rajdhani Express is one of the fastest trains in India, running at a top speed of 140 km per hour. It was inaugurated on May 17, 1972, and instantly became popular for its terrific speed and the standard of facilities that are provided. It covers a total distance of 1384 km from New Delhi to Mumbai in just 15h 50m.
Rajdhani Express trains are the highest priority trains in Indian Railways. Mumbai Rajdhani Express has only 6 intermediate stops, which makes it the best train to travel from Mumbai to Delhi.
There is another train, New Delhi – Kanpur Shatabdi Express (12033/12034), which also runs at a maximum speed of 140 km/h. So, these two trains together are the 4th fastest running train in India.
Timings: It departs at 17:00 from the source station (Mumbai) to arrive at the destination station (New Delhi) at 08:35. On its return journey, this train departs at 16:25 from New Delhi station and arrives at the destination station (Mumbai) at 08:15.
Days of Journey: It is a daily run train operated by the Indian railways.
5) New Delhi – Howrah Rajdhani Express (12301/12302 and 12305/12306)
Top Speed: 135 km/h
Route: New Delhi Howrah Rajdhani Express runs on two different routes. The first route is Howrah – New Delhi (via Gaya) and the second route is Howrah- New Delhi (via Patna). This Rajdhani Express covers some important Indian cities like Dhanbad, Gaya, Patna, Mughalsarai, Prayagraj, Kanpur, and New Delhi.
One of the most prestigious Rajdhani Express trains in India, Howrah Rajdhani connects New Delhi to Howrah, Kolkata. It began its first operation on March 3, 1969. This train was the first Rajdhani Express and the first fully air-conditioned train in the country. It is also the country’s first Wi-Fi enabled Rajdhani train.
Howrah Rajdhani Express is one of the fastest trains in India with an average speed of 88 km/h. It reaches a maximum speed of 135 km/h during its journey. Rail enthusiasts affectionately call this train ‘The King’. This is definitely one of the coolest and lesser-known facts about Indian Railways.
When it was first started, Kolkata Rajdhani Express reduced the travel time from West Bengal to Delhi by rail from 24 hours to just 17 hours.
There is another train, Bikaner – New Delhi – Sealdah Duronto Express (12259/12260), which also runs at a maximum speed of 135 km/h. So, these two trains together are the 5th fastest running train in India.
Timings: Howrah Rajdhani Express (12301/12302) departs at 16:50 from the source station (Howrah) to arrive at the destination station (New Delhi) at 10:00. On its return journey, this train starts from New Delhi at 16:55 and arrives at the destination station (Howrah) at 09:55.
Days of Journey: It runs 6 days a week (Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Sat, Sun) and stops at 9 intermediate halts.
Written By – Prince Mishra, Source – Railmitra.
