It was on February 15, 2019, that India saw the birth of its first semi-high speed train capable of clocking speeds of up to 160-200 kilometres per hour (kmph). When the latest Vande Bharat train between Chennai and Mysuru was launched, the average speed was seen as low as 75-78 kmph, compared with an average speed of 95 kmph for the first train between New Delhi and Varanasi.
While some blame the reduced speed to recent incidents of cattle run-overs, experts and the Indian Railways indicate that several issues, including infrastructure, fencing, and track quality, are reasons for the average