Declining speed in Kerala; What happened to India's premium train?

NEW DELHI: Vande Bharat trains provided Indians with a novel travel experience of the highest standard, emulating developed nations. Since February 2019, 136 Vande Bharat trains are operating in different parts of the country. This premium semi-high-speed train of India, manufactured at the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai, has a maximum speed of 160 kmph.

Vande Bharat is still the most sought-after train in the country, except for a few routes. In Kerala, two Vande Bharat trains operate four services daily. Despite the elite services, concerns are popping up regarding the declining speed of the train in the state.

As per reports, Vande Bharat trains servicing in Kerala, have reduced the speed compared with their initial days. This issue has been raised by some MPs in the Indian Parliament. Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav also responded to this query.

In 2014, only 31,000 km of track in India's total rail route was capable of reaching a speed of 110 kmph. Track renovation and maintenance is underway in all states of the country. While in 2014 it was 31,000 kilometres, today it is possible to achieve a speed of 110 kilometres per hour on 80,000 kilometres of tracks. As per reports, Vande Bharat has compromised on their speeds only where track work is underway. The elite train, despite the constraints, is servicing at far greater speed than the Jan Shatabdi Express. The passenger traffic for Vande Bharat trains in Kerala is currently among the best in India.