Indian Railways' Major Track Upgrades: Over 78 Per Cent Of Tracks Now Support Speeds Above 110 Kmph

The Indian Railways has significantly upgraded its tracks to support faster train operations, enabling trains like the Vande Bharat Express to run at speeds above 130 kmph.

According to the Railways Ministry, over 78 per cent of rail tracks in India now support speeds above 110 Kmph.

"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 rail panels, H Beam sleepers, modern track renewal and maintenance machines etc.," Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw said in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha on Friday (25 July).

"As a result of above measures, there has been significant increase in speed potential of the tracks," he added.

According to the data provided by the minister in his written reply, in 2014, only 6.3 per cent of tracks (5,036 track km) could support speeds above 130 kmph.

By 2025, this has increased to 21.8 per cent, with 23,010 kilometers of track now capable of handling high-speed trains like the Vande Bharat Express, which has a top operating speed of 160 kmph.

Other tracks supporting speeds in the 110-130 kmph range have also seen significant upgrades, now making up 56.6 per cent of the total track network.

Meanwhile, tracks with a capacity of less than 110 kmph have dropped from 60.4 per cent in 2014 to just 21.6 per cent in 2025.

Further, the total length of tracks have also expanded from 79,342 km in 2014 to 105,672 km in 2025, an increase of 33.2 per cent.

The minister further said that the Vande Bharat trains presently running over the Indian Railway network are Semi-High speed train services with design speed of 180 kmph and maximum operating speed of 160 kmph.

He added that the average speed of the train depends upon geometry of the track, stoppages enroute, maintenance work in the section etc.

Also Read: India’s First Vande Bharat Express Maintenance Depot Taking Shape In Rajasthan, Four More Depots Planned Nationwide