Faster journeys for Indians, railways to introduce two super trains running at speed of 250 km/h

NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Railways has directed the Chennai Integral Coach Factory (ICF) to build two trains capable of running at a speed of 250 kmph. In the letter sent on June 4, ICF has been asked to build two trains as part of the production program for 2024-25.

This train built with a steel body will run at a speed of 250 km per hour. However, it can reach a maximum speed of 220 km/h on the existing track in India. It will be manufactured in standard gauge. These trains will be based on the Vande Bharat platform and will be faster than other existing trains.

The railways informed that these will be eight-coach trains. For the past one year, a test track for standard gauge trains is being developed in Rajasthan. This is to test whether high-speed trains including Vande Bharat can travel through it. These need to be converted from broad gauge to standard gauge. It is the most accepted gauge globally.

Meantime, there are no trains in India that can run at such a high speed. Experts said that this project can be a challenge. Even Vande Bharat trains, currently the fastest trains in India, have a top speed of 180 kmph.

ICF's former general manager Sudhanshu Mani, who led the construction of Vande Bharat trains, said that the construction of the trains could be completed by March 2025. If the construction of this train is successful, it will be an important milestone. Sudhanshu Mani said that high-speed trains are being built using Japanese technology.