Vande Bharat occupancy at 110%, but average speed remains an issue

HYDERABAD: The Vande Bharat Express trains in South Central Railway (SCR) are experiencing over 110% occupancy rate, increasing the demand for additional semi-high-speed trains in the zone.
Presently, only a handful of routes have the capacity to unlock the full speed potential of these trains, as most sections are capped at a maximum speed of 110 kmph.However, the SCR is currently working to elevate the track speed from 110 kmph to 130 kmph across 1,743 route km within the zone.

In fact, the recent enhancement of track speed between Vijayawada and Duvvada, spanning 330.9 RKms, marks completion of upgrading the maximum speed of tracks along the Golden Quadrilateral and Golden Diagonal (GQ GD). GQ GD caters to 58% of freight train traffic and 52% of coaching traffic, covering major cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Howrah and Chennai. Experts suggest that the introduction of Vande Bharat to other metro cities would be viable if track speeds in the Secunderabad area are also upgraded. Although the Vande Bharat train boasts a permissible speed of 160 kmph, with a tested speed reaching 180 kmph, its current average speed on both the Secunderabad-Tirupati and Secunderabad-Visakhapatnam routes lingers about 84 kmph.
Regrettably, not a single route within the SCR permits the 160 kmph, rendering it a major hurdle for the realisation of Gatimaan Express, the second-fastest train after Vande Bharat.
Engineering experts within SCR cite various reasons for not increasing the track speed, including loose soil on tracks, frequent trespassing by people and animals, high train density on certain routes, and other significant factors. “The black cotton soil in some areas of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh is not favourable for increasing track speed in many sections,” a senior official said.
However, 132 RKms of the high-density network between Secunderabad and Kazipet has been deemed suitable for operating trains at 130 kmph. In September last year, the railways approved an increase in track speed for the GD sections (Balharshah-Kazipet-Gudur) spanning 744 RKms, and the GQ sections (Wadi-Guntakal-Renigunta) covering 536 RKms.
Officials anticipate that these upgrades will pave the way for the introduction of more Vande Bharat trains in the coming years. With the 130 kmph track speed upgrade, operational efficiency and train punctuality are expected to improve significantly upon the introduction of Vande Bharat trains.