What this Vande Bharat speed ranking shows
The table above ranks every Vande Bharat train in our guide by its average scheduled speed: the full distance from the first station to the last, divided by the full scheduled journey time, with every stop included. It covers 52 Vande Bharat trains whose timetables we have checked against at least two sources: 46 daytime Vande Bharat Express Chair Car trains and the six overnight Vande Bharat Sleeper trains. Click any train number to open its full time table.
Average speed is the fairest way to compare one Vande Bharat train with another. Top speed tells you what the train can do on its best stretch; average speed tells you how quickly it actually gets you from one city to the other.
How fast is Vande Bharat? Top speed vs average speed
The Ministry of Railways gives Vande Bharat a design speed of 180 km/h and a maximum operating speed of 160 km/h. The real limit on each section depends on the track. [Source: PIB]
The average speeds in the ranking are much lower, between 59 and 99 km/h, because a Vande Bharat Express also spends time at stations, slows down for curves, junctions and city approaches, and runs at the speed the track allows rather than its own maximum. A train designed for 180 km/h can still average 70 km/h on a route with many slow sections.
How to use the ranking
- Compare trains on your corridor. Where two Vande Bharat trains serve the same cities, the ranking shows which is quicker: on New Delhi–Varanasi, 22436 (8 h) is five minutes faster than 22416 (8 h 5 min).
- Compare directions. The two trains of a pair can differ, such as 22961 at 89.3 km/h and its return 22962 at 86.6 km/h on Mumbai Central–Ahmedabad.
- Open the time table by clicking a train number to see where the time is spent.
How the speed is calculated
Average speed = distance in km ÷ journey time in hours. For the Mumbai–Goa Vande Bharat train 22229, that is 765 km ÷ 7.75 hours = 98.7 km/h. Distances and times come from the checked timetables (erail, ConfirmTkt and RailYatri, 11 November 2026), and overnight Sleeper trains are counted across midnight.
Fastest Vande Bharat trains
Among the 52 Vande Bharat trains we track, the top six are on just three corridors:
- 22229 Mumbai CSMT → Madgaon (MAO): 765 km in 7 h 45 min, 98.7 km/h, the fastest Vande Bharat Express in our list.
- 22230 Madgaon → Mumbai CSMT: 97.7 km/h, five minutes slower than its pair.
- 22435 and 22436 Varanasi Jn (BSB) ↔ New Delhi (NDLS): 771 km in exactly 8 hours, 96.4 km/h each way.
- 22415 and 22416, the second Delhi–Varanasi pair: 760 km in 8 h 5 min, 94.0 km/h.
Next come the Mumbai Central (MMCT) – Ahmedabad (ADI) trains, 22961 at 89.3 km/h and 22962 at 86.6 km/h, and the Coimbatore–Chennai train 20644 at 85.2 km/h. Of the 46 Chair Car trains, 17 average 80 km/h or more.
Slowest Vande Bharat trains in our list
At the other end, the Bengaluru Cantonment (BNC) – Coimbatore (CBE) pair 20641/20642 averages about 59.5 km/h over 377 km in 6 h 20 min. The Howrah (HWH) – Ranchi (RNC) trains, 20897 at 62.3 km/h and 20898 at 64.5 km/h, are also near the bottom. These routes have more slow sections, not slower trains: every Vande Bharat Express uses the same type of trainset.
Fastest stretches within a journey
Average speed between two consecutive stops can be far higher than the end-to-end figure. From our timetables:
- Ratnagiri (RN) → Kankavali (KKW) on 22229: 156 km in 72 minutes, 130 km/h, on the Konkan Railway.
- Ahmedabad (ADI) → Vadodara (BRC) on 22962: 100 km in 50 minutes, 120 km/h.
- New Delhi (NDLS) → Kanpur Central (CNB) on 22436: 441 km in 4 h 8 min, about 107 km/h.
And the slowest stretches are city approaches, such as Dadar (DR) to Mumbai CSMT, 8 km in 23 minutes on 22230. Work out any stretch yourself with the Vande Bharat distance calculator.
Chair Car vs Vande Bharat Sleeper speed
The six Vande Bharat Sleeper trains average 73.0 km/h, against 77.2 km/h for the 46 Chair Car trains. The Sleeper is timed for an overnight journey, so arriving at a sensible morning hour matters more than speed. On the same New Delhi–Varanasi corridor, the daytime Vande Bharat Express 22436 averages 96.4 km/h while the Sleeper 27422 averages 79.8 km/h.
Vande Bharat speed FAQs
What is the top speed of Vande Bharat Express?
The design speed is 180 km/h and the maximum operating speed is 160 km/h, according to the Ministry of Railways. Actual speed depends on the track.
What is the average speed of Vande Bharat trains?
About 77 km/h across the 46 Chair Car trains we track, from about 59 km/h on Bengaluru–Coimbatore to 98.7 km/h on Mumbai–Goa.
Which is the fastest Vande Bharat train?
Among the 52 Vande Bharat trains we track, 22229 Mumbai CSMT–Madgaon has the highest average speed, 98.7 km/h. We do not yet track every Vande Bharat route, so this is not a national ranking.
Is Vande Bharat the fastest train in India?
Vande Bharat trains are designed for 180 km/h and run at up to 160 km/h where the track allows. For journey times, compare trains on the same route; see Vande Bharat vs Shatabdi.
Why does Vande Bharat not run at 160 km/h all the time?
Each section of track has its own speed limit, and the train also slows for stations, junctions and curves. That is why the average speed is well below the top speed.
Is the Vande Bharat Sleeper as fast as the Chair Car?
It averages a little less, about 73 km/h against 77 km/h, because it is timed to arrive in the morning.
Related tools and guides
Vande Bharat speed and fastest routes guide · Distance calculator · Vande Bharat train time table · All Vande Bharat routes
Sources: design and operating speed from the Ministry of Railways (PIB). Distances and scheduled times from timetables cross-checked on erail, ConfirmTkt and RailYatri, 11 November 2026. Rankings cover the 52 Vande Bharat trains we track, not the whole network.