Vande Bharat: High-Speed Dreams, Low-Speed Delivery

The Vande Bharat Paradox: Ambition, Expansion, and Operational Strain

Vande Bharat, during its launch, was sold as a symbol of a ‘New India' racing toward modernity. The promise was electrifying: sleek design, faster acceleration, and a future-ready rail system. 

However, years later, India’s flagship semi-high-speed train still runs at a speed similar to the conventional express services on many routes. What happened between ambition and reality? And why does the political narrative often move faster than the trains themselves? Let’s find out.

The Promise: A Future of High-Speed Connectivity

Vande Bharat started in 2019 and was advertised as a technological leap for Indian Railways. The project was expected to improve travel times on congested routes with improved braking, GPS-based passenger information, and modern interiors.

Government announcements highlighted that Vande Bharat was designed for speeds up to 180 km/h. This figure was repeatedly publicised in speeches and promotional videos. The trains were showcased as proof of India's engineering capabilities.

If expectations alone could move trains, India would already be cruising at 200 km/h.

The Reality Check: Infrastructure Still Stuck in First Gear

The trains are fast, but the tracks are not. This is the core problem. India’s existing rail infrastructure was never built for long-term high-speed operations. A majority of routes have speed caps of 110-130 km/h. This speed limit is also reduced in curves, on outdated bridges, and in congested areas. 

Data from multiple railway zones show that on many routes, Vande Bharat’s average speed clocks between 75-95 km/h, which is marginally ahead of Shatabdi Express services. Even the Delhi-Varanasi route, one of the earliest Vande Bharat corridors, clocks average speeds under 90 km/h.

Politics on Rails: Why Speed Became a Slogan

Vande Bharat is a political narrative. Its launch events are televised, flagged off by top leaders, and aggressively promoted on social media. Each new route became a campaign moment.

Critics argue that the project’s visibility has made it politically irresistible, often overshadowing deeper structural issues in rail modernisation. Opposition leaders frequently point out that while trains are being publicised as futuristic, India still lacks high-speed corridors comparable to China’s 40,000 km network.

The symbolism is powerful; the substance, less so.

Manufacturing Milestone: A Win for India’s Rail Tech

Despite the controversies, one cannot ignore the genuine achievements. The trainsets are designed and built indigenously under the “Make in India” initiative. 

Production at ICF Chennai increased significantly, scaling from 2 to over 50 trainsets in just a few years. The Vande Bharat sleeper version is set to begin pilot service soon, expanding long-distance travel options.

In terms of engineering capability, India has indeed levelled up.

The problem is not the train, it is the track beneath it.

Speed Bottlenecks: Track Upgrades Moving at a Snail’s Pace

For Vande Bharat to run anywhere close to its design capacity, India needs:

• Straightened alignments
• Fewer level crossings
• Stronger bridges
• Modern signalling systems
• Dedicated tracks
   

While projects like Kavach, India’s indigenous automatic train protection system, are rolling out, they cover only a fraction of the total network.

The government has announced the renovation of over 500 stations and multiple track-doubling initiatives. However, modernisation required for 160–200 km/h operations demands both massive funding and political continuity.

Passengers Speak: Comfort, Yes. Speed, Not Quite.

Travellers repeatedly highlight that although Vande Bharat offers improved comfort, the time savings are far from revolutionary. Many routes show a reduction of only 15-45 minutes compared to Shatabdis or premium express trains.

That’s hardly the ‘high-speed revolution’ promised on campaign posters.

However, passengers do appreciate the following aspects.

smoother ride quality, modern interiors, faster acceleration, cleaner coaches, and better control over crowding.

If speed were the only metric, the train might disappoint, but as a comfort-oriented premium service, it is a win.

The Global Comparison: India Still Playing Catch-Up

Countries with true high-speed trains, such as Japan, China, France, and Spain, have one thing in common: dedicated, protected, fully upgraded corridors.

China’s bullet trains cruise at 300–350 km/h on exclusive mega-corridors.

Japan’s Shinkansen has operated safely for over 50 years without a fatal accident.

India’s Vande Bharat? It still shares tracks with goods trains, express trains, and suburban networks.

Until dedicated high-speed lines like the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train corridor are completed, India’s ‘high-speed dream’ remains aspirational.

What the Future Holds: Speed or Spectacle?

The next few years will test whether Vande Bharat becomes a stepping stone to true high-speed infrastructure or a politically convenient showpiece with limited functional impact.

The government promises more than 400 Vande Bharat trains, but without investments in track modernisation, signalling upgrades, and high-speed corridors, the gap between promise and performance may widen.

Conclusion: India Must Decide, Hype or High Speed?

Vande Bharat is both a triumph and a cautionary tale. It proves India can build world-class trains, but it also exposes the gap between political ambition and infrastructural readiness.

India stands at a crossroads:

Will it invest the billions required for real high-speed rail, or continue branding semi-high-speed services as a technological revolution?

If speed truly symbolises progress, then the tracks, not the speeches, must catch up.