Parliament Question: Vande Bharat Express and high-speed train projects

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3937 ANSWERED ON 27.03.2026 VANDE BHARAT EXPRESS AND HIGH-SPEED TRAIN PROJECTS 3937 SHRI R. DHARMAR: Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state: (a) the status of the Vande Bharat Express and high-speed train projects across the country, including any proposed routes and timeline for expansion of these services, with a specific focus on Tamil Nadu; (b) whether Government has any plans to introduce the Vande Bharat Express or other high-speed trains connecting major cities in Tamil Nadu, if so, the proposed routes and expected launch dates; and (c) the measures being taken to ensure the safety, affordability and accessibility of these high-speed train services for rural and economically disadvantaged communities in Tamil Nadu? ANSWER MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW) (a) to (c) Indian Railways (IR), with a view to improve travel experience of the passengers, have introduced indigenously designed and manufactured Vande Bharat (Sleeper & Chair Car) services with modern coaches, advanced safety features and passenger amenities. As on 23.03.2026, the following 01 pair Vande Bharat train service (Sleeper Car) and 81 pairs of Vande Bharat train services (Chair Car) are being operated on the Indian Railways network: Vande Bharat Sleeper Car: SN Train No. and Name 1 27575/27576 Howrah - Kamakhya Vande Bharat Sleeper Express Vande Bharat Chair Car: SN Train No. and Name 1 22435/22436 New Delhi - Varanasi Vande Bharat Express 2 22439/22440 Sri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra - New Delhi Vande Bharat Express 3 20901/20902 Gandhinagar Capital - Mumbai Central Vande Bharat Express Page 1 of 12 §4 22447/22448 Amb Andura - New Delhi Vande Bharat Express 5 20607/20608 Mysuru - MGR Chennai Central Vande Bharat Express 6 20825/20826 Nagpur - Bilaspur Vande Bharat Express 7 22301/22302 New Jalpaiguri - Howrah Vande Bharat Express 8 20833/20834 Secunderabad - Visakhapatnam Vande Bharat Express 9 22223/22224 Sainagar Shirdi - Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (T) Vande Bharat Express 10 22225/22226 Solapur - Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (T) Vande Bharat Express 11 20171/20172 Nizamuddin - Rani Kamlapati Vande Bharat Express 12 20701/20702 Tirupati - Secunderabad Vande Bharat Express 13 20643/20644 Coimbatore - Chennai Vande Bharat Express 14 20977/20978 Chandigarh - Ajmer Vande Bharat Express 15 20633/20634 Thiruvananthapuram- Kasargod Vande Bharat Express 16 22895/22896 Puri - Howrah Vande Bharat Express 17 22457/22458 Dehradun - Anand Vihar Vande Bharat Express 18 22227/22228 Guwahati - New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express 19 20911/20912 Nagpur - Indore Vande Bharat Express 20 22229/22230 Madgaon - Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (T) Vande Bharat Express 21 22349/22350 Ranchi - Patna Vande Bharat Express 22 20661/20662 Dharwar - Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express 23 20173/20174 Rewa - Rani Kamlapati Vande Bharat Express 24 22549/22550 Gorakhpur - Prayagraj Vande Bharat Express 25 12461/12462 Sabarmati - Jodhpur Vande Bharat Express 26 22925/22926 Okha - Ahmedabad Vande Bharat Express Page 2 of 12 §27 20665/20666 Tirunelveli - Chennai Egmore Vande Bharat Express 28 20677/20678 Narsapur - Chennai Vande Bharat Express 29 20703/20704 Yesvantpur - Kacheguda Vande Bharat Express 30 20631/20632 Thiruvananthapuram- Mangaluru Vande Bharat Express 31 26963/26964 Udaipur - Asarva Vande Bharat Express 32 22347/22348 Patna - Howrah Vande Bharat Express 33 20835/20836 Puri - Rourkela Vande Bharat Express 34 20897/20898 Ranchi - Howrah Vande Bharat Express 35 22415/22416 New Delhi - Varanasi Vande Bharat Express 36 20641/20642 Coimbatore - Bengaluru Cant Vande Bharat Express 37 20645/20646 Mangaluru - Madgaon Vande Bharat Express 38 20705/20706 Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (T) - Nanded Vande Bharat Express 39 22477/22478 Sri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra - New Delhi Vande Bharat Express 40 22425/22426 Anand Vihar - Ayodhya Cantt. Vande Bharat Express 41 22487/22488 Amritsar - Delhi Vande Bharat Express 42 22962/22961 Mumbai Central - Ahmedabad Vande Bharat Express 43 20707/20708 Visakhapatnam - Secunderabad Vande Bharat Express 44 20663/20664 Chennai - Mysuru Vande Bharat Express 45 22233/22234 Patna - New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express 46 22470/22469 Khajuraho - Nizamuddin Vande Bharat Express 47 22231/22232 Bengaluru - Kalburagi Vande Bharat Express 48 20841/20842 Visakhapatnam - Bhubaneswar Vande Bharat Express 49 22345/22346 Gomti Nagar - Patna Vande Bharat Express Page 3 of 12 §50 20887/20888 Varanasi - Ranchi Vande Bharat Express 51 22545/22546 Dehradun - Lucknow Jn Vande Bharat Express 52 22490/22489 Varanasi - Meerut City Vande Bharat Express 53 20627/20628 Nagercoil - Chennai Egmore Vande Bharat Express 54 20671/20672 Bengaluru Cantt - Madurai Vande Bharat Express 55 22500/22499 Deoghar - Varanasi Vande Bharat Express 56 22309/22310 Jamalpur - Howrah Vande Bharat Express 57 20871/20872 Rourkela - Howrah Vande Bharat Express 58 20893/20894 Patna - Tatanagar Vande Bharat Express 59 20892/20891 Tatanagar - Brahmapur Vande Bharat Express 60 22303/22304 Gaya - Howrah Vande Bharat Express 61 20669/20670 Pune - Hubballi Vande Bharat Express 62 20673/20674 Pune - Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj (T) Vande Bharat Express 63 20101/20102 Secunderabad - Nagpur Vande Bharat Express 64 20829/20830 Visakhapatnam - Durg Vande Bharat Express 65 21893/21894 Patna - Tatanagar Vande Bharat Express 66 21895/21896 Patna - Tatanagar Vande Bharat Express 67 20176/20175 Banaras - Agra Cantt. Vande Bharat Express 68 26901/26902 Veraval - Sabarmati Vande Bharat Express 69 26401/26402 Srinagar - Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Vande Bharat Express 70 26403/26404 Srinagar -Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Vande Bharat Express 71 26502/26501 Patliputra - Gorakhpur Vande Bharat Express 72 26751/26752 KSR Bengaluru - Belagavi Vande Bharat Express Page 4 of 12 §73 26406/26405 Amritsar - Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Vande Bharat Express 74 26101/26102 Pune - Ajni Vande Bharat Express 75 26302/26301 Jogbani - Danapur Vande Bharat Express 76 26481/26482 Delhi Cantt - Jodhpur Vande Bharat Express 77 26471/26472 Delhi Cantt - Bikaner Vande Bharat Express 78 26462/26461 Delhi - Firozpur Cantt. Vande Bharat Express 79 26651/26652 Ernakulam - KSR Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express 80 26506/26505 Khajuraho - Banaras Vande Bharat Express 81 26504/26503 Saharanpur - Gomtinagar Vande Bharat Express As the Railway network straddles across state boundaries, trains are introduced, as per network requirement, across such boundaries. However, on originating/terminating basis, following 08 pairs of Vande Bharat train services, are presently catering the needs of passengers of various stations located in the State of Tamil Nadu: SN Train Number and Name 1 20627/20628 Chennai Egmore - Nagercoil Vande Bharat Express 2 20665/20666 Chennai Egmore - Tirunelveli Vande Bharat Express 3 20607/20608 MGR Chennai Central - Mysuru Vande Bharat Express 4 20671/20672 Madurai - Bengaluru Cantt. Vande Bharat Express 5 20641/20642 Bengaluru Cantt. - Coimbatore Vande Bharat Express 6 20643/20644 MGR Chennai Central - Coimbatore Vande Bharat Express 7 20663/20664 Mysuru – MGR Chennai Central Vande Bharat Express 8 20677/20678 MGR Chennai Central - Narsapur Vande Bharat Express Besides, introduction of train services, including Vande Bharat services and its variants, on any route/section,which is an on-going process, depends on various factors which include: ● Capacity of that section. Page 5 of 12 §● Availability of path. ● Availability of required rolling stock. ● Availability of matching infrastructure for rolling stock. ● Maintenance requirement of railway tracks and other assets. High-Speed Railway Pojects: Presently, Mumbai - Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) Project (508 kms) passing through Maharashtra and Gujarat is under execution. The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) Project (508 km) is passing through the States of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Union Territory of Dadra & Nagar Haveli with 12 stations planned at Mumbai, Thane, Virar, Boisar, Vapi, Billimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Ahmedabad and Sabarmati. Entire land (1389.5 Ha.) for MAHSR project has been acquired. All Statutory Clearances have been obtained. All 1651 utilities have been shifted. The delay in land acquisition in the State of Maharashtra has impacted the project till 2021. The land acquisition picked up in 2022 in Maharashtra. The progress of various major items so far is as under: Item Progress Piers 430 kms. Girder 341 kms. Track Bed 174 kms. OHE Masts 153 kms. The progress of stations is given below:- S.No. Station Status 1 Sabarmati Foundation works completed, Platform slab & roof structural works and finishing works are in progress. 2 Ahmedabad Structural works completed and finishing works have been taken up. 3 Anand/Nadiad 4 Vadodara Foundation work completed, structural works and finishing works have been taken up. 5 Bharuch Structural works completed and finishing works have been taken up. 6 Surat 7 Bilimora 8 Vapi 9 Boisar Foundation works have been taken up and in advanced stage. Structural works have been taken up. 10 Virar 11 Thane 12 BKC (Mumbai) This is an underground station. Foundation works almost completed and Base Slab has been taken up. Page 6 of 12 §The progress on the River Bridges is as under:- S. No. River Name Status 1 Sabarmati River (480m) Sub-Structure work completed, Superstructure work has been taken up. 2 Meshwa River (120m) Bridge construction completed. 3 Vatrak River (280m) 4 Mohar (Shedhi) River (160m) 5 Mahi River (720m) 11 out of 12 wells completed;5 spans launched 6 Vishwamitri River (80m) Bridge construction completed. 7 Dhadhar River (120m) 8 Narmada River (1366m) 21 out of 25 wells completed; 4 spans launched 9 Kim River (120m) Bridge construction completed. 10 Tapi River (720m) Foundation work has been taken up, 10 out of 12 wells completed 11 Mindhola River (240m) Bridge construction completed. 12 Purna River (360m) 13 Ambika River (200m) 14 Venganiya River (200m) 15 Kaveri River (120m) 16 Kharera River (120m) 17 Auranga River (320m) 18 Par River (320m) 19 Kolak River (160m) 20 Daman Ganga River (360m) 21 Darotha River (80m) 22 Jagani River (360m) Foundation works have been completed 23 Vaitarna River (2320m) 12 Pile Cap and 11 Pier (out of 58) completed. 24 Ulhas River Branch (120m) Temporary Access Bridge (TAB) completed to start the foundation work. 25 Desai Khadi River Bridge Geo-technical Investigation (GTI) has been completed (400m) and Design work has been taken up. The work of the under-sea tunnel (approximately 21 km) has commenced, out of which 4.8 km of tunnel between Ghansoli and Shilphata in Maharashtra has been completed. Further, to strengthen the national transport infrastructure and provide a fillip to regional economic growth, the Government has announced the development of following seven new High-Speed Rail (HSR) Page 7 of 12 §corridors in the Union Budget 2026-27:- (i) Mumbai-Pune (ii) Pune-Hyderabad (iii) Hyderabad-Bengaluru (iv) Hyderabad-Chennai (v) Chennai-Bengaluru (vi) Delhi-Varanasi (vii) Varanasi-Siliguri Being highly capital intensive, the decision to sanction any HSR Corridor/Project depends on many factors such as outcome of DPR, techno-economic feasibility studies and availability of resources such as financing options etc. Passenger’s Safety: Safety is accorded the highest priority on Indian Railways. As a consequence of various safety measures taken over the years, there has been a steep decline in the number of accidents. Number of Consequential Train Accidents has reduced as shown in the table below:- Year Consequential Accidents 2014-15 135 2025-26 (upto 28.02.2026) 14 (90% lesser) Another important index showing improvement in safety in train operations is Consequential Accident Index, the details of which are as under:- Consequential Accident Index:- Year Accident Index 2014-15 0.11 2024-25 0.03 (73% lesser) This index measures number of consequential accidents as a ratio of total running kilometers of all trains. Accident Index = No. of consequential accidents No. of trains X million kilometers run Page 8 of 12 §The various safety measures taken to enhance safety in train operations are as under:- 1. On Indian Railways, the expenditure on Safety related activities has increased over the years as under:- Expenditure/Budget on Safety related activities (Rs. in Cr.) 2013-14 39,200 2022-23 87,336 2023-24 1,01,662 2024-25 1,14,022 2025-26 1,17,693 2026-27 1,20,389 2. Electrical/Electronic Interlocking Systems with centralized operation of points and signals have been provided at 6,665 stations up to 28.02.2026 to reduce accidents due to human failure. 3. Interlocking of Level Crossing (LC) Gates has been provided at 10,153 Level Crossing Gates up to 28.02.2026 for enhancing safety at LC Gates. 4. Complete Track Circuiting of stations to enhance safety by verification of track occupancy by electrical means has been provided at 6,669 stations up to 28.02.2026. 5. Indian Railways has gone for implementation of indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system, which required safety certification of highest order (SIL 4). Kavach has been adopted as a National ATP system in July 2020. Based on deployment of Kavach version 3.2 on 1465 RKm on South Central Railway and experience gained, further improvements were made. Finally, Kavach specification version 4.0 was approved by RDSO on 16.07.2024. After extensive and elaborate trials, Kavach Version 4.0 has been successfully commissioned on 1638 Route Kilometres, covering the high density Delhi- Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah routes as below: SN Section Progress (Route Km) (1) Delhi-Mumbai route: i Junction cabin – Palwal – Mathura –Nagda section 667 ii Vadodara – Ahmedabad section 96 iii Vadodara – Virar section 336 (2) Delhi – Howrah route: i Gaya Sarmatanr section 93 ii Chota Ambana - Bardhaman – Howrah section 260 iii Subedarganj-Kanpur 186 Further, track side Kavach implementation work has been taken up on 24,427 RKM covering all GQ, GD, HDN and identified sections of Indian Railways. Page 9 of 12 §6. Detailed instructions on issues related with safety of Signalling, e.g. mandatory correspondence check, alteration work protocol, preparation of completion drawing, etc. have been issued. 7. System of disconnection and reconnection for S&T equipment as per protocol has been re- emphasized. 8. All locomotives are equipped with Vigilance Control Devices (VCD) to improve alertness of Loco Pilots. 9. Retro-reflective sigma boards are provided on the mast which is located two OHE masts prior to the signals in electrified territories to alert the crew about the signal ahead when visibility is low due to foggy weather. 10. A GPS based Fog Safety Device (FSD) is provided to loco pilots in fog affected areas which enables loco pilots to know the distance of the approaching landmarks like signals, level crossing gates, etc. 11. Modern track structure consisting of 60kg, 90 Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) rails, Prestressed Concrete Sleeper (PSC) Normal/Wide base sleepers with elastic fastening, fan shaped layout turnout on PSC sleepers, Steel Channel/H-beam Sleepers on girder bridges is used while carrying out primary track renewals. 12. Mechanisation of track laying activity through use of track machines like PQRS, TRT, T-28 etc. to reduce human errors. 13. Maximizing supply of 130m/260m long rail panels for increasing progress of rail renewal and avoiding welding of joints, thereby improving safety. 14. Ultrasonic Flaw Detection (USFD) testing of rails to detect flaws and timely removal of defective rails. 15. Laying of longer rails, minimizing the use of Alumino Thermic Welding and adoption of better welding technology for rails i.e., Flash Butt Welding. 16. Monitoring of track geometry by OMS (Oscillation Monitoring System) and TRC (Track Recording Cars). 17. Patrolling of railway tracks to look out for weld/rail fractures. 18. The use of Thick Web Switches and Weldable CMS Crossing in turnout renewal works. 19. Inspections at regular intervals are carried out to monitor and educate staff for observance of safe practices. 20. Web based online monitoring system of track assets viz. Track database and decision support system has been adopted to decide rationalized maintenance requirement and optimize inputs. 21. Detailed instructions on issues related with safety of Track, e.g. integrated block, corridor block, worksite safety, monsoon precautions, etc. have been issued. 22. Preventive maintenance of railway assets (Coaches & Wagons) is undertaken to ensure safe train operations. 23. Replacement of conventional ICF design coaches with LHB design coaches is being done. Page 10 of 12 §24. All unmanned level crossings (UMLCs) on Broad Gauge (BG) route have been eliminated by January 2019. 25. Safety of Railway Bridges is ensured through regular inspection of Bridges. The requirement of repair/rehabilitation of Bridges is taken up based upon the conditions assessed during these inspections. 26. Indian Railways has displayed Statutory “Fire Notices” for widespread passenger information in all coaches. Fire posters are provided in every coach so as to educate and alert passengers regarding various Do’s and Don’ts to prevent fire. These include messages regarding not carrying any inflammable material, explosives, prohibition of smoking inside the coaches, penalties etc. 27. Production Units are providing Fire detection and suppression system in newly manufactured Power Cars and Pantry Cars, Fire and Smoke detection system in newly manufactured coaches. Progressive fitment of the same in existing coaches is also underway by Zonal Railways in a phased manner. 28. Regular counselling and training of staff is undertaken. 29. Concept of Rolling Block introduced in Indian Railways (Open Lines) GeneralRules vide Gazette notification dated 30.11.2023, wherein work of integrated maintenance/repair/replacement of assets is planned up to 52 weeks in advance on rolling basis and executed as per plan. The details of the Safety related works related to better maintenance practices, Technological improvements, better infrastructure and rolling stock etc. undertaken by Railways are tabulated below:- S.N. Item 2004-05 to 2014-15 to 2014-25 Vs. 2013-14 2024-25 2004-14 Technological Improvements 1. Use of high-quality rails 57,450 Km 1.43 Lakh Km More than (60 Kg) (Km) 2 times 2. Longer Rail Panels 9,917 Km 77,522 Km Nearly 8 times (260m) (Km) 3. Electronic Interlocking (Stations) 837 Stations 3,691 Stations More than 4 times 4. Fog Pass Safety Devices (Nos.) As on As on 31.03.25: 288 times 31.03.14: 25,939 Nos. 90 Nos. 5. Thick Web Switches (Nos.) Nil 28,301 Nos. Better Maintenance Practices 1. Primary Rail Renewal (Track Km) 32,260 Km 49,941 Km 1.5 times 2. USFD (Ultra Sonic Flaw 79.43 Lakh 2 Crore More than detection) Testing of Welds (Nos.) 2 times 3. Weld failures (Nos.) In 2013-14: In 2024-25: 90% reduction 3699 Nos. 370 Nos. Page 11 of 12 §4. Rail fractures (Nos.) In 2013-14: In 2024-25: More than 2548 Nos. 289 Nos. 88% reduction Better Infrastructure and Rolling Stock 1. New Track KM added (Track Km) 14,985 Km 34,428 Km More than 2 times 2. Flyovers (RoBs)/Underpasses 4,148 Nos. 13,808 Nos. More than (RUBs) (Nos.) 3 times 3. Unmanned Level crossings (Nos.) As on As on Removed on BG 31.03.14: 31.03.24:Nil 8,948 (All eliminated by 31.01.19) 4. Manufacture of LHB Coaches 2,337 Nos. 42,677 More than (Nos.) 18 times Affordability: Railways are running different types of train services like suburban locals/ordinary, non-suburban local/ordinary, Mail/Express, Superfast trains, Garib Rath, Gatimaan, Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Duronto, Mahamana, Amrit Bharat, Vande Bharat, Vande Bharat Sleeper, Namo Bharat Rapid Rail. Humsafar, Tejas, Special trains on special charges etc. Railways always strive to provide affordable services to all strata of society. Accordingly, it operates different categories of train services to cater to the travel needs of various categories of society which include trains with lower fare to give benefit to underprivileged section of the society and also trains with enhanced facilities. Indian Railways gave subsidy of ₹60,239 crore on passenger tickets in 2024-25. This amounts to concession of 43% on an average, to every person, travelling on Railways. In other words, if the cost of providing service is ₹100, then the price of ticket is ₹57 only. This subsidy is continuing for all passengers. Further, concessions beyond this subsidy amount are continuing for many categories like 4 categories of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjans), 11 categories of patients and 8 categories of students. ***** Page 12 of 12 §