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Key Points

The Indian Railways has made significant strides in network modernization under Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw's leadership. Over 78% of tracks have been upgraded to support speeds of 110 kmph and above, a massive improvement from previous years. High-speed track segments have quadrupled, enabling faster train services across the country. The introduction of Vande Bharat trains further demonstrates India's commitment to advanced railway infrastructure.

Key Points: Vaishnaw Reveals 78% Indian Railways Tracks Upgraded for High Speed

  • Tracks upgraded to support 110 kmph & above speeds
  • High-speed sections expanded from 6.3% to 21.8%
  • Vande Bharat trains designed for 180 kmph
  • Significant reduction in low-speed track segments
2 min read

Over 78 pc Indian Railways tracks upgraded for speed of 110 kmph & above: Vaishnaw

Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw highlights major track upgradation, enabling faster train speeds across 110-130 kmph network segments

"Track length for highest speed potential increased more than 4-fold - Ashwini Vaishnaw, Railways Minister"

New Delhi, July 25

Over 78 per cent of railway tracks in the country have now been upgraded for speeds of 110 kmph and above, with the improvement in the Indian Railways network carried out in a big way during the last 10 years, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed Parliament on Friday.

The minister said that the measures for track upgradation include the use of 60 kg rails, wider base concrete sleepers, thick web switches, longer rail panels, H Beam sleepers, modern track renewal and maintenance machines,

The track length for the highest speed potential of 130 km per hour & above has been increased more than 4-fold from 5,036 km in 2014 to 23,010 km in 2025, which forms 21.8 per cent of the total track length. Earlier, this high-speed section was only 6.3 per cent of the total length, the minister said in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.

Similarly, the track length for speeds of 110-130 km per hour has been more than doubled from 26,409 km in 2014 to 59,800 km in 2025, which now constitutes a significant 56.6 per cent of the total track network.

Correspondingly, the length of track where the speed of trains is less than 100 km per hour has been reduced from 47,897 track km to 22,862. While earlier trains had to slow down to less than 100 km per hour on 60.4 per cent of the track network, this has now been reduced to 21.6 per cent, he added.

Vaishnaw further stated that Vande Bharat trains presently running over the Indian Railway network are semi-high speed train services with a design speed of 180 kmph and a maximum operating speed of 160 kmph. The average speed of the train depends upon the geometry of the track, stoppages en route, and maintenance work in the section..

The first prototype of the Vande Bharat Sleeper train set has already been manufactured. Based on the extensive field trials and the experience gained therein, the first rake of the Vande Bharat sleeper train is undergoing commissioning, the minister added.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

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Priya S
While the numbers look impressive, I recently traveled by train and still faced delays. When will these upgrades translate to actual on-time performance? The minister should also share punctuality statistics.
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Arjun K
Vande Bharat sleeper version is much needed! Business travelers will benefit greatly. Hope they maintain the same quality as the chair car version. Indian Railways is finally catching up with global standards.
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Sarah B
As someone who frequently travels between Delhi and Mumbai, I've noticed the improvement in journey times. The tracks are definitely smoother now. Kudos to the railway workers making this happen!
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Vikram M
Good development but what about safety? Speed is important but we need to ensure zero accidents. Remember the Balasore tragedy? Hope they're investing equally in signaling systems and staff training.
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Kavya N
The 4-fold increase in high-speed tracks is remarkable! 🇮🇳 Now if only they could improve the food quality and cleanliness in trains too. Infrastructure is just one part of the travel experience.
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Michael C
Impressive statistics! As an expat, I've seen the transformation of Indian Railways firsthand. The Vande Bharat trains are world-class. Looking forward to trying the sleeper version soon.

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