Indian Railways proudly showcase 67,956 km long operating railway network and it is managed & owned by the Ministry of Railways, Government of India.
Indian Railway is the fourth-largest railway network in the world, and third in Asia after China and Russia. Indian railways are one of the fastest modes of transport in India. Billions of people travel by train throughout the year, and around 20 million people travel per day.
Railways are an economical, safe, and fast transport option for Indian citizens. More than 1 Lakh passenger trains run daily, helping people to reach their destinations on a daily basis.
If you look into the history of the Indian railway speed revolution you will be surprised. Indian railway has no place on the speed map of the railways in the world. But that is not all about Indian Railways. Let’s take a closer look at history.
Indian first train started at a speed of around 35.60 km/h in 1853. After that, there are no such steps taken to increase the speed of the train for the next 50 years. At that time India was ruled by the British Empire.
Before 1938, the fastest average speed was not to exceed about 50 km/h. After 1938, little improvement was held and the maximum speeds of passenger trains stabilized at 105 km/h and 75 km/h for B.G and M.G respectively.
Similarly, the maximum average speed for goods trains stabilized at 75 km/h and 50 km/h for B.G and M.G respectively. There was no change happened until 1969 when first introduced Rajdhani Express.
On 1 March 1969, India first introduced semi high-speed trains by introducing the Rajdhani Express. It attains a speed of 120 km/h on B.G track, and this speed was further increased to 130 km/h in 1971.
After that, on July 10, 1988, India introduced the fastest train in the country, the Shatabdi Express between New Delhi and Jhansi. It was able to attain a speed of 140km/h on B.G.
Similarly, Pink City Express was the first superfast train on M.G which is able to attain a top speed of 100km/h.
After that India targeted to attain a speed of 160 km/h. And it is also fulfilled by introducing Gatimaan Express and Vande Bharat Express in 2015 and 2019 respectively. Vande Bharat Express is designed to run at a top speed of 200 km/h.
Top 10 Super Fast & High-Speed Trains in India
Now India continues working to improve the speed of its trains. On 8 December, the Union Railways Minister made a big announcement about India’s first high-speed bullet train under the project of Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-speed Rail Corridor. He said that it will be completed by 2026.
As per some updates, it is assumed that it will be run through a distance of about 500 km and the speed will be around 320 km per hour. In this article, I will discuss about the top 10 super fast high speed trains in India as of 2024.
| Position | Name of Train | Maximum Operating Speed Allow | Maximum designed speed | Travel route & distance |
| 1. | Vande Bharat Express | 180 km/h (but, due to poor track condition it operated at a speed of 130 km/h) | 200 km/h | Delhi to Varanasi, and Delhi to Katra |
| 2. | Gatimaan Express | 160 km/h | __ | Hazrat Nizamuddin Station( in South Delhi) to Jhansi Jn. |
| 3. | New Delhi- Bhopal Shatabdi Express | 155km/h | __ | New Delhi to Habibganj Station |
| 4. | Mumbai – New Delhi Rajdhani Express | 130 to 140 km/h | __ | New Delhi to Kanpur Central |
| 5. | New Delhi – Howrah Rajdhani Express | 135 km/h | New Delhi to Howrah Station | |
| 6. | Tejas Express | 130 km/h | 200 km/h | __ |
| 7. | Sealdah – Bikaner Duronto Express | 130 to 135 km/h | __ | Sealdah Station to Bikaner Station |
| 8. | H.Nizamuddin – Bandra Garib Rath | 130 km/h | __ | Bandra Terminus to Hazrat Nizamuddin |
| 9. | Mumbai Central – Ahmedabad AC Double Decker Express | 130 km/h | __ | Mumbai Central to Ahmedabad Junction |
| 10. | New Delhi-Kanpur Shatabdi Express | 130 km/h | __ | New Delhi to Kanpur central |
1. Vande Bharat Express
Vande Bharat Express is a shining exhibition of India’s Make in India initiative. It is also known as Train 18, and its design and development credit goes to Integral Coach Factory(ICF), Chennai. Vande Bharat Express has two routes, first from Delhi to Varanasi and second from Delhi to Katra.
It is designed to run at the speed of 200 Km/h, and its aerodynamic design helps it in achieving high speed. But this speed is not practically achievable because of the poor track condition which is unable to support such a high speed.
Due to this reason, Vande Bharat runs at a reduced speed of 130 Km/h. During its trial run, it achieved a record speed of 180 Km/h, which made it the fastest train in India. However, it is capable of reaching a speed of 180 km/h but does not touch.
2. Gatimaan Express
In reality, the fastest operating train in India is Gatiman Express which runs at a maximum speed of 160 km/h which is 30 Km/h more than Vande Bharat’s maximum operating speed.
Gatiman Express is the first semi-high-speed train in India that runs between Delhi and Jhansi. In June 2015, Gatiman Express was officially introduced by the Indian Railway Ministry. Gatiman Express made its first journey between Hazrat Nizamuddin and Agra Cant.
It began its journey on 5th April 2016 and reached its destination within 100 minutes. It is powered by railways WAP-5 electric locomotive and a total number of four locomotives are used to haul this train in both directions.
3. New Delhi- Bhopal(Habibganj) Shatabdi Express
We already told you that on July 10, 1988, the first Shatabdi Express was introduced between New Delhi and Jhansi. Then it was extended up to Bhopal Habibganj station, and now it is called as New Delhi- Habibganj Shatabdi Express.
Now there are the numbers of Shatabdi Expresses, but the New Delhi – Bhopal Habibganj Express is the fastest Shatabdi train from others.
Till 2016 it was also the fastest-running train in India but after the inauguration of Gatiman Express, it lost its position. And now it is the 3rd fastest train in India. The maximum speed that this train can attain is 155km/h.
4. Mumbai – New Delhi Rajdhani Express
At an average running speed of 90.46 Km/h, this Rajdhani Express runs from Delhi Central to Mumbai Central and it is listed as the fourth fastest train in India.
It covered its usual distance in 19 hours and 15 minutes, but since the route underwent electrification, the speed of the train improved significantly. Now it covers the same distance in 15 hours 50 minutes.
Mumbai New Delhi Rajdhani Express has a permissible high speed of 140 Km/h, but it is capable of running at a speed of 160 km/h but does not touch. It takes 6 stops between Mumbai and New Delhi and serves daily.
5. New Delhi – Howrah Rajdhani Express
The oldest and with the highest priority among all Rajdhani expresses is the New Delhi – Howrah Rajdhani Express. It was first introduced in 1969. It runs every day except Friday. It is equipped with the luxury of having Wi-Fi and AC coaches. It takes only 7 stops between New Delhi and Howrah.
It was the first Rajdhani Express introduced by the Indian railway ministry. The maximum permissible operating speed of this train is 135 km/h. And average running speed is 85 km/h.
6. Tejas Express
Tejas Express is one of the fastest trains in India that was launched on 24 May 2017. This is the first private train operated by IRCTC. It is a fully air-conditioned train with premium quality features.
First, it was run between Mumbai’s CST to Karmali railway station and it covered a distance of about 552 km in 510 minutes. This train is designed for a maximum speed of 200 km/h. But due to poor track condition, it is operated at a maximum speed of 130 km/h. It is capable of touching the speed of 180 km/h but does not touch.
After the first Tejas Express, on 1 March 2019, the Second Tejas Express was run between Chennai Egmore and Madurai Junction. In one word, Tejas Express is such a train that really needed for this country.
7. Sealdah – Bikaner Duronto Express
The seventh position is acquired in this list by the Sealdah – Bikaner Duronto Express. ‘Duronto’ is a Bengali word that means ‘very fast’. This is a super-fast train which connects the two cities in the most efficient way possible.
First, it was named Sealdah – New Delhi Duronto Express with three intermediate stops – Kanpur Central, Mughal Sarai Jn, and Dhanbad Jn. On 24 February 2020, its destination was extended up to Bikaner and contained 11 stops.
There are several types of Duronto Express, but this Duronto Express is somewhat faster than others. Generally, it runs at an average speed of 78 km/h. The maximum operating speed of this train is 130 km/h.
8. H.Nizamuddin – Bandra Garib Rath
H.Nizamuddin – Bandra Garib Rath is another fastest trains in India that runs between Bandra Terminus and Hazrat Nizamuddin. It takes 8 stops throughout its journey. The maximum operating speed of this train is 130 km/h, and the average operating speed is around 82 km/h. Its first journey began on 22 February 2007.
9. New Delhi-Kanpur Shatabdi Express
It is another fastest Shatabdi Express which runs between New Delhi and Kanpur Central. It provides its service every day except Sunday. Its first journey began On 7 February 2010. The maximum operating speed of the New Delhi-Kanpur Shatabdi Express is 130 km/h.
At an average speed of 89 Km/h, it covers a distance of 441 km. It was introduced to reduce excessive passenger load from Lucknow Shatabdi. WAP-7 locomotives are used to pull the train throughout the journey.
10. Mumbai Central – Ahmedabad AC Double Decker Express
Mumbai Central – Ahmedabad AC Double Decker Express is a premium quality train that is run between Mumbai Central and Ahmedabad Junction. At an average speed of 70 Km/h, this train covers a distance of 491 km in 7 hours and 20 minutes. The maximum operating speed of this train is 130 km/h.
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