**Policy Summary: Vande Bharat Train Speeds (Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 4538)**
This document summarizes the response provided by the Minister of Railways, Information Broadcasting and Electronics Information Technology, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 4538 concerning the operating speeds of Vande Bharat trains. The question addressed the reasons for any perceived decline in average speeds, steps being taken to improve speeds, progress in railway infrastructure modernization, and strategies for ensuring expected speeds on new routes.
The Minister's response indicates that significant upgrades to railway tracks have been implemented over the past 10 years (2015-2025) to increase speed potential. These measures include the use of 60 kg rails, wider base concrete sleepers, thick web switches, longer rail panels, H Beam sleepers, and modern track renewal and maintenance machines.
The response provides a comparison of track speed potential in 2014 and 2025:
* **110 kmph:** 47,897 km (60.4%) in 2014 vs. 22,862 km (21.6%) in 2025
* **130 kmph:** 26,409 km (33.3%) in 2014 vs. 59,800 km (56.6%) in 2025
* **Above 130 kmph:** 5,036 km (6.3%) in 2014 vs. 23,010 km (21.8%) in 2025
* **Total:** 79,342 km in 2014 vs. 1,05,672 km in 2025
The average speed of train services, including Vande Bharat, is influenced by factors beyond design speed, such as the Maximum Permissible Speed (MPS) of the section, track structure, geometry (gradients and curves), topographical conditions, number of stoppages, line capacity utilization, and maintenance works. Vande Bharat trains are operated at the MPS of the sections they traverse.
Key Entities Referenced
Vande Bharat trains: A type of semi-high-speed train operating on Indian Railways.
SHRI IMRAN MASOOD: Member of Parliament who raised the unstarred question in Lok Sabha.
MINISTER OF RAILWAYS: The government minister responsible for the Ministry of Railways.
SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW: The current Minister of Railways, Information Broadcasting and Electronics Information Technology.
Indian Railways: The state-owned railway company of India.
Lok Sabha: The lower house of the Parliament of India.
Maximum Permissible Speed MPS: The highest speed at which a train is allowed to travel on a particular section of track.
2014: The year used as a baseline for comparing the speed potential of railway tracks with 2025.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4538
TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.08.2025
SPEED OF VANDE BHARAT TRAINS
†4538. SHRI IMRAN MASOOD:
Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:
(a) the details of the reasons for decline in the average speed of Vande
Bharat trains though they are designed to run at high speeds;
(b) the details of the steps being taken by the Government to address
track conditions, infrastructure challenges, difficult terrain and weather
affects to improve the operating speed of Vande Bharat trains on all
routes;
(c) the details of the progress made so far in modernisation of railway
infrastructure to improve semi high speed and high speed rail services;
and
(d) the time limit and the strategy to ensure the expected speed for
running Vande Bharat trains on new routes?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND
ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)
(a) to (d) Upgradation and improvement of railway tracks on Indian
Railways to increase the speed potential have been carried out in a big
way during last 10 years. The measures for track upgradation include use
of 60 kg rails, wider base concrete sleepers, thick web switches, longer
--2/--2-
rail panels, H Beam sleepers, modern track renewal and maintenance
machines etc. As a result of above measure, there has been significant
increase in speed potential of the tracks. The details of speed potential of
railway tracks during 2014 vis a vis 2025 are as under:
2014 2025
Sectional Speed
Track
(kmph) % Track Km %
Km
< 110 47,897 60.4 22,862 21.6
110 - 130 26,409 33.3 59,800 56.6
130 & above 5,036 6.3 23,010 21.8
Total 79,342 100 1,05,672 100
On Indian Railways (IR), the average speed of the train services,
including Vande Bharat services, is dependent inter alia on the Maximum
Permissible Speed (MPS) of the section, track structure, geometry along
the route including gradients and curves, topographical conditions,
number of stoppages enroute, line capacity utilisation of sections,
maintenance works in the section etc. Accordingly, the Vande Bharat
train services have been charted at the Maximum Permissible Speed of
the respective sections over which the trains are being operated.
*****