Vande Bharat Trains: Promise, Performance, and the Gap in Between

When the first Vande Bharat train was inaugurated with much fanfare in 2019, it was pitched as the dawn of a new era in Indian railways. As of today, there are 60+ Vande Bharat trains criss-crossing the country, proudly showcased as India’s flagship “semi-high speed” passenger service.

I’ll be the first to admit: the Vande Bharat is a great train. It looks modern, feels futuristic, and has undoubtedly raised the bar for passenger comfort compared to the tired ICF coaches of the past. On paper, it represents India’s leap into the next generation of rail travel. But when we cut through the hype, the reality is more complex.

The Positives

Comfort & Design: The ride quality, interiors, and amenities are a big step up from conventional trains. Passengers—especially business travelers—value this.

National Pride: As a Make-in-India project, it shows India can design and manufacture a modern EMU trainset domestically. Symbolically, this is huge.

Operational Efficiency: Quicker acceleration and braking compared to loco-hauled trains save minutes between stops, and dedicated priority on tracks reduces delays.

The Gaps Perhaps Nobody Talks About

Speed vs Reality: Marketed as a semi-high speed train capable of 160 km/h, not a single Vande Bharat actually runs at that speed in service. Most max out at 110–130 km/h—exactly what a conventional LHB rake with a WAP-7 could also do. The marginal time saved is due to priority, not performance.

Cost–Benefit Paradox: Each VB costs nearly ₹100 crore—almost double that of a modern LHB rake (~₹50 crore). Yet the core problem it was meant to solve—substantially reducing travel time—remains unsolved. If time savings are negligible, why pay so much more?

Build Quality Concerns: Compared to Chinese, Japanese, or even European high-speed EMUs, the fit and finish of Vande Bharat coaches leaves room for improvement. Early reports of rattling doors, broken fittings, and poor durability raise questions about quality control.

Public Apathy: A bigger, systemic challenge is our approach to maintenance and cleanliness. Walk into a VB a few months after inauguration, and you’ll often find stained seats, litter, and broken fittings. A world-class product cannot survive without world-class discipline in upkeep.

Infrastructure Lag: The real bottleneck is not the train, but the track. Running reliably at 160 km/h requires better signalling, stronger bridges, fencing, and upgraded civil works. Those investments have not kept pace. Budgets seem heavily skewed toward electrification, while the physical infrastructure needed for sustained higher speeds remains patchy.

The Bigger Question

India needed an upgrade from its outdated rolling stock—no doubt. But unless Vande Bharat delivers on its 160 km/h promise on at least a few showcase routes, it risks being remembered as a cosmetic facelift rather than a transformational leap.

At this point, it’s less about the trains themselves and more about the ecosystem they run on. Without parallel investment in track upgrades, signalling, and maintenance culture, we are left with an overpriced solution to a problem that still exists.

I’m a fan of the Vande Bharat and what it symbolizes. But admiration shouldn’t blind us to critical evaluation. If the goal is truly faster, safer, more efficient travel, then India’s railway strategy must look beyond just flashy new trainsets and focus equally on the less glamorous but far more impactful work of civil and systemic upgrades.

Only then can the Vande Bharat story move from marketing triumph to genuine mobility revolution.