Did Rajdhani trains run faster in 1973? The answer may surprise you

Once the pride of Indian Railways, the Rajdhani Express hasn't lived up to its speed promises decades later. The train seems to be stuck in a slow-motion time loop

In March 1969, the Indian Railways launched the Rajdhani Express, its first high-speed train, on the Howrah-Delhi route. It was a moment of national pride. The train promised luxury and speed, cutting down travel time significantly compared to other options. More than five decades later, the dream of truly fast trains in India remains largely unrealised.

 

While the world has witnessed breathtaking advancements in train speeds — where Japanese Shinkansens and French TGVs blur landscapes at over 300 kmph—India’s trains continue to crawl, both literally and figuratively. This is not just a story of tracks and engines; it’s a tale of missed opportunities, structural inefficiencies, and the weight of historical baggage.

 

 

Rajdhani: A dream refusing to speed up with time

  Take the Rajdhani Express, for instance. In 1973, the Howrah-Delhi route took 17 hours and 20 minutes, with a maximum speed of 120 kmph. Fast forward to 2025, and the same journey now takes 17 hours and 15 minutes. Despite an increase in the maximum speed to 130 kmph since then, the average speed has stagnated at 84 kmph — a glaring testament to the snail-like pace of progress.

 

The Mumbai-Delhi Rajdhani Express has fared slightly better, trimming travel time from 19 hours and 5 minutes in 1975 to 15 hours and 32 minutes in 2025. However, its average speed, 89 kmph, still lags behind the speeds of even regional trains in Europe.

 

Meanwhile, the Chennai-Delhi Rajdhani, introduced in 1993, presents another sobering track. Between 1995 and 2025, its travel time has barely changed. In fact, the time has increased from 28 hours and 15 minutes 30 years ago to 28 hours and 35 minutes now.

 

Vande Bharat: An exciting step forward but is it enough?

  India’s latest attempt at speed, the Vande Bharat Express, showcases the country’s ambitions but also its limitations. While these semi-high-speed trains are a leap ahead of their predecessors, their average speeds still fail to dazzle.

 

The New Delhi-Varanasi Vande Bharat, for example, covers 759 kilometers in eight hours, achieving an average speed of 94.88 kmph. The Bhopal-New Delhi route of 702 km performs similarly at 93.6 kmph. On the Visakhapatnam-Secunderabad 698 km stretch, the average speed dips to 82 kmph.

 

How does India compare to its global counterparts?

  India’s struggles stand in stark contrast to global success stories. In Europe, high-speed rail networks like Germany’s ICE and France’s TGV have become symbols of progress and efficiency. These trains not only offer unparalleled speed but also integrate seamlessly into broader economic and urban planning strategies.

 

Germany: Germany’s rail network is a model of efficiency and innovation. Even the slowest regional trains operate at 100–120 kmph, matching India’s fastest trains like the Rajdhani and Vande Bharat. High-speed ICE trains reach up to 300 kmph, maintaining averages of 180–200 kmph. Key routes, like Berlin-Munich, cover 623 km in under four hours, showcasing Germany's seamless integration of regional, intercity, and high-speed services supported by advanced technology and robust investment.

 

France: France’s TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse) sets global standards, reaching commercial speeds of 320 kmph and averages of 250 kmph on routes like Paris-Strasbourg. Some lines peak at 279 kmph. Regional TER trains operate at 100–160 kmph, surpassing Indian rail speeds. This commitment to high-speed travel fosters connectivity and economic growth across urban and rural areas.

 

China: China’s G-series trains, operating at 300–350 kmph, redefine rail efficiency. The 1,300 km (808 miles) Beijing-Shanghai route maintains an average speed of 318 kmph, completing the journey in under 4.5 hours. Even conventional trains, running at 120–140 kmph, outperform India’s express trains, emphasising the gap in rail advancement.

 

United States: While lagging behind Europe and Asia, the US surpasses India on some corridors. The Acela Express reaches 240 kmph on the Northeast Corridor, with upgrades targeting 257 km/h. However, average speeds hover around 140 kmph due to stops and track limitations. Conventional Amtrak trains average 97–129 kmph, comparable to India’s Vande Bharat but still far from global high-speed standards. In comparison, India’s flagship trains remain a relic of another era. 

 

How has railway technology evolved in India? 

Historically, India’s locomotive technology has struggled to keep pace with global advancements. In the steam era, train speeds rarely exceeded 90 kmph. The introduction of diesel and electric engines in the mid-20th century brought incremental improvements, but not the revolutionary change required to propel the country into the league of high-speed pioneers.

 

The mid-20th century saw the introduction of diesel engines like the ALCO WDM-2. These workhorses revolutionised freight and passenger services, enabling speeds of 105 kmph and beyond. Meanwhile, electric traction experiments, starting in the 1920s around Bombay, gained momentum. By the 1980s, the WAP-1 electric locomotive, capable of 130 kmph, marked a shift towards high-speed rail.

 

The 1969 launch of the Rajdhani Express brought India closer to global speed standards, running at 120 kmph with WDM-4 diesels. The 1990s introduced the WAP-4, a robust electric engine that efficiently powered long-distance trains at speeds of 130-140 kmph, becoming a mainstay for decades.

 

Meanwhile, the 1997 arrival of the WAP-5, a cutting-edge electric locomotive designed for 180 kmph, redefined passenger rail travel. Its smooth operations and advanced technology were a leap forward. Diesel engines also improved with the WDP-4, capable of speeds of 160 kmph, though electrification began dominating by the early 2000s.

  Recently, Siemens received an order for 1,200 locomotives from Indian Railways in 2023, marking the single largest locomotive order in the history of Siemens Mobility and the single largest order in the history of Siemens in India.

 

The WAP-5 locomotives, introduced in the late 1990s, were capable of reaching 160 kmph in trials. However, operational limitations kept their speeds capped at 130 kmph. Even today, India’s railways lack the track quality and safety measures necessary to fully harness the potential of its modern engines.

 

India’s dreams of high-speed trains and missed chances 

The reasons for India’s sluggish train speeds are complex. Railway experts have suggested that post-independence, India and war-torn Europe found themselves on similar economic footings. Yet, while European nations embraced trade and innovation to rebuild their economies, India turned inward, adopting policies that stifled growth, they add.

 

With no pressing need for faster transportation to fuel trade or connect booming cities, infrastructure development stagnated. By the time the world was marvelling at Japan’s Shinkansen in the 1960s, India was still struggling to electrify its tracks and upgrade its rolling stock.

 

The absence of economic demand for high-speed travel kept innovation at bay. Indian Railways, once a pioneer, saw its ambitions throttled by bureaucracy, underinvestment, and a lack of vision, argue rail enthusiasts. Even today, freight traffic congestion, outdated infrastructure, and a policy of prioritising new train services over existing ones have compounded the problem.

 

The success of high-speed rail in countries like China and France presents some lessons. But when will they be recognised and implemented remains a slow-speed question. We’ll get to the answer someday. Until then, the Rajdhani Express will remain a metaphor for India’s broader development story — full of promise, but forever stuck on the slow track.