Trains passing through Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand on the existing Howrah-New Delhi rail route will run at a speed of 160 kilometres per hour, Hindustan Times' sister publication Live Hindustan reported. The infrastructure for increasing the average speeds of passenger trains on the Howrah-Delhi route is being improved as a part of ‘Mission Raftaar’ announced in the Railway Budget 2016-2017. Rajesh Kumar, chief public relations officer for East Central Railway, told Live Hindustan that the speed of trains on the Grand Chord railway section will increase from 130 to 160 kmph. After the completion of the ongoing project under ‘Mission Raftaar’, the distance between Delhi and Howrah could be covered in just 12 hours. In 2019, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved two projects for raising the speed to 160 kmph on New Delhi- Mumbai and New Delhi-Howrah routes.

Source: Hindustan Times July 23, 2021 15:11 UTC