The Namo Bharat train has achieved the distinction of being India’s fastest operational train, reaching maximum speeds of 160 kmph on the 55-kilometer Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridor.
About Namo Bharat Train:
This milestone comes after the Railway Ministry reduced speeds for other high-speed trains from 160 kmph to 130 kmph on June 24, 2024, without providing specific reasons. Previously, the Gatiman Express, launched in 2016 as India’s first semi-high speed train, operated at 160 kmph between Hazrat Nizamuddin and Agra. The Vande Bharat series also achieved similar speeds on select routes before the speed reduction.
Currently, all trains across the Indian railway network operate with an upper speed limit of 130 kmph, making Namo Bharat Train’s 160 kmph operation unique in the domestic rail landscape.
Service Details of Namo Bharat Train
Thirty trainsets, each comprising six cars, operate between New Ashok Nagar in East Delhi and Meerut South in Uttar Pradesh with 15-minute frequency from each station. The trains reach their maximum speed briefly between stations along the 11-stop route.
“The entire 82.15 km long corridor with 16 stations, starting from Sarai Kale Khan in Delhi to Modipuram in Uttar Pradesh, is likely to be commissioned soon,” officials from the National Capital Regional Transport Corporation Limited (NCRTCL) confirmed.
The NCRTCL, a joint venture comprising the Government of India (50%) and Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan (12.5% each), is implementing India’s first Regional Rapid Transit System.
Technical Specifications
“Designed in Hyderabad and manufactured at an Alstom factory located in Gujarat’s Savli, the aerodynamic rolling stock, with their sleek and modern design, are compatible with Automatic Train Protection (ATP), Automatic Train Control (ATC), and Automatic Train Operations (ATO),” officials explained.
“The distance between two stations varies from five to eight kms and the train touches its highest speed between stations with longer distances,” they added.
Once fully operational, the corridor will connect Delhi to Meerut in under one hour. “Since the beginning of operations on the 17 km long Priority Section on October 21, 2023, services have been commissioned on a 55-km stretch of the corridor in a phased manner,” according to NCRTCL’s press release.
The system has “successfully served more than 1.5 crore riders to date.”
