Indian Railways increasing the speed of Chennai-Bengaluru trains

Following an upgrade of the tracks, the Southern Railway (SR) zone of Indian Railways has decided to increase the speed on multiple sections falling under its jurisdiction, resulting in a shorter travel time for passengers on the Chennai-Bengaluru route.

The Southern Railway has stated that starting from June, passengers on the Chennai-Bangalore Shatabdi will experience a significant reduction in travel time. Among all the Vande Bharat Express trains operating in the country, the Chennai-Mysuru Vande Bharat Express has one of the slowest average speeds, ranging from 75-77kmph.

The upcoming Chennai-Coimbatore-Chennai Vande Bharat train will operate at a speed of 130 kmph in the Chennai-Jolarpettai section, providing significant benefits to passengers. The new service will take only 5 hours and 50 minutes to reach its destination from both ends, resulting in a savings of one hour and 20 minutes of travel time compared to other trains operating in the same section.

The Chair Car fare for Train No. 20607 from MGR Chennai Central Station to Mysuru is Rs. 1200, while the Executive Class fare is Rs. 2295. On the other hand, for Train No. 20608 from Mysuru to MGR Chennai Central Station, the Chair Car fare is Rs. 1365, and the Executive Class fare is Rs. 2485.

The introduction of the Chennai-Mysuru Vande Bharat Express will improve connectivity between the industrial hub of Chennai, the technology and software startup hub of Bengaluru, and the world-renowned tourist destination of Mysuru.

The Vande Bharat Express, previously known as Train 18, is an electric multiple-unit train that is operated by Indian Railways. The train has undergone testing and has been able to achieve a maximum speed of 180 km/h (110 mph). However, due to the capacity of the railway tracks and traffic constraints, the operating speed of the train is limited to 160 km/h (99 mph) on the Delhi-Bhopal route, and on other routes, it is limited to 110-130 km/h (68-81 mph) due to safety concerns.

The train’s luxurious amenities will provide a comfortable and unparalleled travel experience for software and business professionals, technologists, tourists, students, and regular passengers traveling between Mysuru, Bengaluru, and Chennai.

Southern Railway has increased the maximum speed from 110 kmph to 130 kmph on over 413.62 route kilometers of its network, in the following sections:

The Chennai-Renigunta section, which covers a distance of 134.3 route kilometers, was authorized for a speed increase from 110 kmph to 130 kmph on March 29, 2023. Similarly,

The Arakkonam-Jolarpettai section, which spans 144.54 kilometers, has been authorized for an increase in the maximum permissible speed from 110 kmph to 130 kmph, starting from March 31, 2023.

Starting in October 2022, the Chennai-Gudur section became the first section in Southern Railway to be authorized to increase the maximum permissible speed from 110 kmph to 130 kmph.

Additionally, during the 2022-23 financial year, the maximum permissible speed in various important sections across the zone, covering a network of 1218 kilometers, has been enhanced to 110 kmph.

Furthermore, for a network spanning 406 kilometers, the maximum permissible speed of various sections has been increased up to 100 kmph.