Why New Bengaluru-Goa Train Will Be Slowest Vande Bharat In India?

Indian Railways is adding more Vande Bharat trains to make long distance travel more comfortable. But the upcoming Bengaluru-Goa service is set to be unique for a different reason. The train, which will run between Yesvantpur in Bengaluru and Madgaon in Goa, is expected to become the slowest Vande Bharat Chair Car service in the country.

Unlike many other trains known for completing journeys in less time, this train will run on an average speed of around 53–54 kmph, which will take around 12 hours and 20 minutes to reach Madgaon from Yesvantpur. The return journey will be 12 hours and 55 minutes long.

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According to The Hindu, the Vande Bharat train running between Varanasi and New Delhi is currently the fastest in the country. It covers 759 km in around eight hours with an average speed of 95 kmph. The Chennai Egmore–Nagercoil service comes next, which runs at an average speed of 82 to 83 kmph.

The Secunderabad–Visakhapatnam train travels at 79 kmph, while the Chennai Central–Narasapura service runs at 75.73 kmph. Other Vande Bharat routes include the Pune–Ajni (Nagpur), it has an average speed of 73 kmph and Nanded–Mumbai CSMT, which runs at 68 to 65 kmph depending on the direction. The Varanasi–Meerut service has an average speed of 66 kmph.

The long travel time is mainly due to the railway track conditions on the route. The majority of the railway line between Mangaluru Junction and Madgaon is a single track, which means trains coming from opposite directions must wait for each other to pass at certain points.

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In such sections, trains are allowed to run at a maximum speed of just 30 kmph.

The upcoming Bengaluru-Goa Vande Bharat Express is also slower than a Superfast Express train. The regular Mail and Express trains usually run at an average speed of 50 to 54 kmph. In Indian Railways, trains with an average speed of more than 55 kmph are called Superfast Express.