Speed of select Vande Bharat, Gatiman Express trains to be cut down for safety

Indian Railways to reduce premium train speeds from 160 kmph to 130 kmph on select routes for safety.

The Indian Railways will soon cut down the speed of premium trains, including Vande Bharat and Gatiman Express, from the present 160 kmph to 130 kmph on select routes to ensure safety. 

Highly placed railway sources told The Hindu on Tuesday that the North Central Railway had written to the Railway Board to slow down Train No 12050/12049 Delhi-Jhansi-Delhi Gatiman Express, Train No 22470/22469 Delhi-Khajuraho-Delhi Vande Bharat Express, Train No 20172/20171 Delhi-Rani Kamalapati-Delhi Vande Bharat Express, and Train No 12002/12001 Delhi-Rani Kamalapati-Delhi Shatabdi Express trains.

Going by the proposal that was “desired to ensure safety”, the speed of Gatiman and Vande Bharat Express trains would be reduced from 160 kmph to 130 kmph while that of Shatabdi Express cut down from 150 kmph to 130 kmph. The reduced speed of these trains would result in an increase in running time by about 25-30 minutes.

Also, the revised timings of the premium trains would cause changes in the timings of at least 10 superfast expresses being operated along the routes, the sources said.

Asked if the reduction in speed was due to the increasing number of accidents across the country since the order was issued within a week of the Kanchanjunga Express accident that left 10 people dead and 40 others injured in West Bengal, a senior railway official said the failure of Train Protection & Warning System (TPWS) on the Delhi-Agra-Jhansi routes was the reason why the premium trains were being slowed down.

Though the proposal of the Northern Railway to either dispense with TPWS or reduce the speed of trains to 130 kmph was pending with the Railway Board since November 6, 2023, the North Central Railway came up with another proposal on June 25, 2024, to slow down the speed of the trains to 130 kmph. 

As repair or maintenance of TPWS was not possible, according to a report of the Divisional Railway Manager, the Railway Board was requested to downgrade the premium trains to be operated “at a much safer speed of 130 kmph”, the sources said.