Indian Railways has taken a step towards setting a new record on the Delhi-Howrah route, one of the busiest rail routes in the country. Vande Bharat Express, known for its high speed and modern facilities, recently achieved a speed of 160 kmph in a trial run on this route. This news has brought relief and excitement to millions of passengers who travel on this route daily. But it is not just about speed—behind this is the dream of Railways’ ‘Mission Raftar’ and the Prime Minister’s ‘Gatiman Bharat’ project, which is moving towards making trains faster, safer and reliable. Let’s take a closer look at this update and understand what it means for us.

Story of the trial run: A journey of 423 km

According to a report by media outlet ‘Ai Swami’, the trial run of the Vande Bharat Express was conducted from Deen Dayal Upadhyaya (Mughalsarai) station to Pradhan Ghunta junction near Dhanbad. This route is about 423 km long and is known as the Grand Cord section. The special thing was that the train touched the speed of 160 km/h in both up and down directions, which is considered to be the fastest speed ever on this route.

An East Central Railway official said on the condition of anonymity, “This trial run is a great demonstration of technical capability. Our aim is to save time and ensure safety for passengers.” This achievement becomes even more special when we look at the busyness of this route—trains like Rajdhani, Duronto and Shatabdi are already running here, but Vande Bharat has set a new benchmark in this battle of speed.

The next step of ‘Mission Raftar’

Vande Bharat Express started its journey in 2019 and since then it has been running at a speed of 130 km/h in many parts of the country. But the dream of the railways is bigger than this. Under ‘Mission Raftar’, there is a plan to increase the average speed to 160 km/h, and the Delhi-Howrah route is an important link in this. The success of the trial run is a solid step in this direction.

According to railway sources, the sleeper version of Vande Bharat is going to be launched soon, which is being prepared for long distance travel. Its speed will also be up to 160 km/h. Ajay Sharma, a railway expert from Delhi, says, “The arrival of Sleeper Vande Bharat will revolutionize overnight travel. The 1,451 km journey from Delhi to Howrah, which currently takes 17-18 hours, can be completed in less than 12 hours.”

Safety first: Arrangement of fences and barriers

Along with increasing the speed, the railways is also alert about safety. Before this trial run, work was started to put up a strong fence on both sides of the railway line. Its purpose is to prevent cattle or people from coming on the track. In some areas, barbed wire fences have been prepared, while in some places metal beam crash barriers have been installed – like those seen on expressways.

Ramesh Yadav, a local resident of Dhanbad, says, “Earlier, it was common for cows and buffaloes to come on the track, due to which trains would stop. Now this will not happen due to the fencing. This is necessary for fast trains.” The railway says that increasing the speed without safety can be risky, and hence this step has been taken.

Challenges and expectations

However, this journey is not yet complete. Even after the trial run, many rehearsals are still pending. The work of upgrading the track condition, signal system and technologies like Kavach (anti-collision technology) is going on at a fast pace. Sanjay Mehta, a railway passenger from Delhi, says, “The talk of 160 km/hour is good, but it is a big challenge to maintain this speed in daily travel. Attention will also have to be paid to traffic and maintenance.” Railway officials believe that it is not difficult to overcome these challenges. Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay, CPRO of East Central Railway, recently said, “We are preparing the track and technology for 160 km/h. The final decision of the board is pending, but our preparations are complete.”
What changes will happen for passengers?

The regular launch of Vande Bharat on the Delhi-Howrah route will save time for passengers. Currently, the fastest trains on this route—like Rajdhani Express—take more than 17 hours. If Vande Bharat runs at an average speed of 160 km/h, then this journey can be reduced by 5-6 hours. Rita Das, a businesswoman from Kolkata, says, “My son studies in Delhi. If this train starts, I will be able to meet him quickly. This will be a big relief for us.”
The road to the future
This trial run is not just a test, but a glimpse of the future of Indian Railways. Vande Bharat Express is not only redefining speed, but is also making the country proud with this train built under ‘Make in India’. But the question is, will this speed be maintained in everyday travel? Will this combination of safety and technology last for a long time?
For now, this trial run of Vande Bharat on the Delhi-Howrah route is a ray of hope. From passengers to railways, everyone’s eyes are now fixed on when this dream turns into reality. If everything goes according to plan, then soon we will enter a new era – where distance will be reduced and speed will become a part of life.
This article is based on media reports and railway sources.