In the light of Indian Railways ambitious plans to increase the speed of the fastest trains in India like to increase the speed of Shatabdi, Rajdhani and Duronto and connecting the major Indian cities like Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai,
Let's have a look at the Fastest Trains in India:
- Vande Bharat Express - Train 18 (22439), 180 km/h
- Gatimaan Express (12049/12050), 160 km/h
- New Delhi - Bhopal Shatabdi Express (12002), 150 km/h
- Mumbai - New Delhi Rajdhani Express (12951) & New Delhi - Kanpur Shatabdi Express (12034), 140 km/hour
- New Delhi - Howrah Rajdhani Express (12302) & New Delhi - Sealdah Duronto Express (12260), 135 km/hr
- Mumbai LTT - H.Nizamuddin AC Superfast Express (22109), 130 km/hr
- H.Nizamuddin - Bandra Garib Rath (12910), 130 km/hr
- Mumbai Central - Ahmedabad AC Double Decker Express (12932), 130 km/hr
- New Delhi - Howrah Duronto Express (12273), New Delhi - Allahabad Duronto Express (12276) & Howrah - Anand Vihar Yuva Express (12249), 120 to 130 km/hr
- Maharashtra Sampark Kranti Express (12908), 110 km/hr
- Kota - H.Nizamuddin Jan Shatabdi Express (12059), 110 km/hr
1. Fastest Train in India 2019: VandeBharat Express - Train 18 (22439), Max Speed- 180 km/h
Route: New Delhi - Varanasi (First Run)
With a top speed of 180 km/hr, the super-fast train is functioned to run at 160 km/hr on the train tracks for safety purposes. Train 18 aka Vande Bharat Express is considered to be the successor of the 30-years old Shatabdi Express, is the fastest engineless self-propelled train in the country and is believed to reduce travelling time by 15% i.e. 4-5 hours.
2. Gatimaan Express (12049/12050), Max Speed- 160 km/h
Route: Hazrat Nizamuddin - Agra Cantonment
Covering a distance of 188 km, this high-speed train connects New Delhi and Agra in 1 hour, 40 minutes. Running at a super-fast speed of 160 km per hour it connects the two most prominent tourist destinations of India. It is the fastest train in India with services like fire alarms, bio-toilets, automatic sliding doors and GPS-based passenger information system. Like airlines, this train has train hostesses. The passengers also get access to multimedia content and free Wi-Fi. Vegetarian and non-vegetarian meals are available both in North Indian and South Indian variations.
3. New Delhi - Bhopal Shatabdi Express (12002), Max Speed- 150 km/h
Route: New Delhi - Mathura Jn - Agra Cantonment -Morena -Gwalior - Jhansi Jn - Lalitpur Jn - Bhopal Jn - Habibganj
New Delhi - Bhopal Shatabdi Express is the second fastest train in India with a speed of 150 km per hour. It runs from Delhi to Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, covering a distance of 707 km. The word Shatabdi can be translated to the centenary. It was introduced in 1988 to commemorate Jawaharlal Nehru's birth anniversary and was the brainchild of Madhavrao Scindia, the railway minister of that time. It is fully air-conditioned and provides the travellers with snacks, coffee/tea, meals and a one-litre water bottle/ 300ml packaged water. The meals are covered in the booking fare.
4. Mumbai - New Delhi Rajdhani Express (12951) & New Delhi - Kanpur Shatabdi Express (12034),Max Speed-140 km/hour
Route:
12951- Mumbai Central - Borivali - Surat - Vadodara Jn - Ratlam Jn - Nagda Jn - Kota Jn - New Delhi
12034- New Delhi - Ghaziabad Jn - Etawah Jn - Kanpur Central
Having a tie at the third position, the Mumbai - New Delhi Rajdhani Express and the New Delhi - Kanpur Shatabdi Express run at a super-fast speed of 140 km per hour, the former covering a distance of 1384 km and the latter covering a distance of 440 km. Morning/evening snacks, bottled water, tea and coffee, soup, meals, ice-cream are served in both the trains.
5. New Delhi - Howrah Rajdhani Express (12302) & New Delhi - Sealdah Duronto Express (12260), Max Speed-135 km/hr
Route:
12302- New Delhi - Kanpur Central - Allahabad Jn - Mughal Sarai Jn - Gaya Jn -Parasnath - Dhanbad Jn - Howrah Jn
12260- New Delhi - Kanpur Central - Mughal Sarai Jn - Dhanbad Jn - Sealdah
Running at a speed of 135 km per hour, at the fourth position in the list of the fastest train in India, there is a tie between the New Delhi-Howrah Rajdhani Express and the New Delhi - Sealdah Duronto Express. Howrah Rajdhani covers a distance of 1450 km and is the most prestigious Rajdhani train. It was the first train in India to become fully air-conditioned. Depending on the timing of the train, morning tea, lunch, high tea, dinner, or breakfast are served. This super-fast train is an important link between Kolkata and New Delhi, running close to some of the holiest sites like Allahabad, Parasnath and Gaya.
On the other hand, the New Delhi - Sealdah Duronto Express covers a distance of 1457 km. Snacks, meals, water, tea and coffee is provided.
6. Mumbai LTT - H.Nizamuddin AC Superfast Express (22109), Max Speed-130 km/hr
Route: Lokmanya Tilak Terminus - Kalyan Jn - Igatpuri - Nasik Road - Bhusaval Jn - Bhopal Jn - Jhansi Jn - Gwalior Jn - Agra Cantt - H.Nizamuddin
The Mumbai LTT - H.Nizamuddin AC Superfast Express or the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Hazrat Nizamuddin AC Express running at a speed of 130 km per hour, covers a distance of 1518 km. It runs between the two major cities, New Delhi and Mumbai. The journey takes approximately 34 hours and 25 minutes.
7. H.Nizamuddin - Bandra Garib Rath (12910), Max Speed- 130 km/hr
Route: H.Nizamuddin - Mathura Jn - Kota Jn - Ratlam Jn - Dahod - Vadodara Jn - Surat - Borivali - Bandra Terminus
The Bandra Garib Rath express runs at a speed of 130 km per hour and covers a distance of 1367 km and is one of the fastest trains in India. This super-fast train does not have a pantry coach and is the fastest Garib Rath express. Garib Rath was started to provide subsidised air-conditioned travel for long-distance to passengers who could not afford the fares of the frequent air-conditioned trains. The berths and seats are narrower, and every coach has more berths and seats than the usual.
8. Mumbai Central - Ahmedabad AC Double Decker Express (12932), Max Speed- 130km/hr
Route: Ahmedabad Jn - Nadiad Jn - Anand Jn - Vadodara Jn - Bharuch Jn - Surat - Valsad - Vapi - Borivali - Mumbai Central
The Mumbai Central - Ahmedabad AC Double Decker Express is a superfast express train with the speed of 130 km per hour and covering a distance of 491 km. The train runs once a day, six days a week. In 2017, the exteriors of the train were covered with vinyl wrapping advertisem*nts making it Indian Railway's first branded train. The ads were for the advertisem*nt of Savlon, a sap brand, as a part of the Savlon Swasth India Mission.
_20180611201622.jpg "11 Fastest Trains in India (8)")
9. New Delhi - Howrah Duronto Express (12273), New Delhi - Allahabad Duronto Express (12276) & Howrah - Anand Vihar Yuva Express (12249), Max Speed-120 to 130 km/hr
Route:
12273- Howrah Jn - Dhanbad Jn - Mughal Sarai Jn - Kanpur Central - New Delhi
12276- New Delhi - Tundla Jn - Allahabad Jn
12249- Howrah Jn - Asansol Jn - Dhanbad Jn - Mughal Sarai Jn - Allahabad Jn - Kanpur Central - Anand Vihar Terminal
With a speed of 120-130 km per hour, the Howrah Duronto Express covers a distance of 1450 km, Allahabad Duronto Express 632 km, and the Anand Vihar Yuva Express covers its distance of 1438 km.
The Howrah Duronto Express runs between Kolkata and New Delhi through the Grand Chord route. It runs non-stop between the two cities. It is the most time-efficient train and serves complimentary meals, soup, water and tea.
The Allahabad Duronto Express is a Superfast express train that runs between Allahabad and New Delhi with a single technical halt at Tundla Junction. This train has no pantry coach.
The Anand Vihar Yuva Express connects Kolkata to New Delhi. It is the cheapest of all the air-conditioned trains between the two cities and is one of the fastest trains in India. Sixty per cent seats of this train are reserved for students and low-income groups.
10. Maharashtra Sampark Kranti Express (12908),Max Speed- 110 km/hr
Route: H.Nizamuddin - Kota Jn - Vadodara Jn - Borivali - Bandra Terminus
With a speed of 110 km per hour and covering a distance of 1367 km between Mumbai and Delhi, Maharashtra Sampark Kranti Express is a bi-weekly train and the fastest Sampark Kranti Express. It has only three halts.
11. Kota - H.Nizamuddin Jan Shatabdi Express (12059),Max Speed- 110 km/hr
Route: Kota Jn - Sawai Madhopur Jn - Gangapur City - Shri Mahabirji - Hindaun City - Bayana Jn - Bharatpur Jn - Mathura Jn - Ballabgarh - H.Nizamuddin
The Kota Hazrat Nizamuddin Jan Shatabdi Express runs between Rajasthan and Delhi, covering a distance of 458 km at a speed of 110 km per hour. It belongs to the Janshatabdi Express category and takes approximately 6 and a half hours to complete its journey.
The railway network is the backbone for a vast country like India, connecting megacities and passing through remote locations. The Indian railway network is growing larger and better every day with the hope of a longer list of the fastest trains in India in the near future.
