Chennai-Bengaluru Vande Bharat speed to be increased to 130 km/hr; cut travel time by 25 mins
The SWR successfully conducted a test run to increase speed on the Bengaluru-Jolarpettai section, but further engineering work, including infrastructure upgrades, will be necessary to maintain higher speeds.
Vande Bharat Train (Photo:Hemanathan.M)
CHENNAI: The travel time between Bengaluru and Chennai on the Vande Bharat Express will be reduced by 25 minutes due to an increase in speed on the route.
Similarly, the travel time of the Shatabdi Express will be shortened by at least 20 minutes.
According to media reports, the South Western Railway (SWR) has conducted a trial to increase the speed of trains on the Bengaluru-Jolarpettai section from 110 km/h to 130 km/h, aiming to make the entire stretch suitable for 130 km/h operations.
The South Western Railway (SWR) reported that the high-speed trial, held on Thursday (December 5), was successful on the Bengaluru-Jolarpettai section, which previously had a speed limit of 110 km/h.
With this change, the entire Bengaluru-Chennai route will now be capable of handling 130 km/h train operations.
The speed increase will benefit two Vande Bharat and two Shatabdi Express trains running every day between Bengaluru and Chennai.
The 360-km Bengaluru-Chennai route, a high-density corridor, connects key economic hubs, including tech parks and manufacturing units.
“Increasing the maximum permissible speed beyond 130 km/h will require strengthening or rebuilding bridges, fencing, eliminating level crossings, and flattening curves or gradients. Additionally, the number of stoppages will impact the average speed,” an SWR official said.