How Fast Do Trains Go?
Average and top speeds of the trains people actually ride, from Vande Bharat and Mumbai locals to Shinkansen and Amtrak, in km/h and mph. Sitting on a train right now? Run the train speed test and compare your live reading with the tables below.
Quick Answer
The gap between top speed and average speed is the story of every railway: station stops, speed restrictions, curves, junctions and slow sections pull the average down to roughly half the permitted maximum.
India: Indian Railways, Metro and RRTS
The highest permitted speed on Indian Railways today is 160 km/h, reached by Vande Bharat on the Delhi–Agra corridor and by the Namo Bharat RRTS between Delhi and Meerut. Most named expresses are limited to 130 km/h, and the end-to-end average is far lower because of halts and slower sections. Figures below are ranges across routes.
| Train | Average speed | Top speed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vande Bharat Express | 65–95 km/h 40–59 mph | 160 km/h 99 mph | Fleet average about 80–85 km/h; New Delhi–Varanasi is the fastest route. Design speed 180 km/h. |
| Namo Bharat (Delhi–Meerut RRTS) | 90–100 km/h 56–62 mph | 160 km/h 99 mph | India’s fastest scheduled train. Delhi to Meerut, 82 km, in about 55 minutes. |
| Gatimaan Express | 90 km/h 56 mph | 130–160 km/h 81–99 mph | Cleared for 160 km/h on Tughlakabad–Agra; run at 130 km/h since 2024 pending Kavach signalling. |
| Rajdhani Express | 70–95 km/h 44–59 mph | 130–140 km/h 81–87 mph | Mumbai–Delhi Rajdhani is the fastest at around 90 km/h average. |
| Shatabdi Express | 55–90 km/h 34–56 mph | 110–150 km/h 68–93 mph | Day trains; Bhopal Shatabdi is permitted 150 km/h, most others 130. |
| Duronto Express | 60–90 km/h 37–56 mph | 110–140 km/h 68–87 mph | Non-stop between origin and destination, so averages are close to Rajdhani. |
| Tejas Express | 75–85 km/h 47–53 mph | 130 km/h 81 mph | Coaches are designed for 200 km/h but the track limits them to 130. |
| Mail / Express trains | 50 km/h 31 mph | 110–130 km/h 68–81 mph | Network-wide average is about 51 km/h; a third of expresses average only 40–50 km/h. |
| Passenger trains | 25–40 km/h 16–25 mph | 100 km/h 62 mph | Stop at every station. "Fast passenger" services manage 40–55 km/h. |
| Mumbai local (EMU) | 35–50 km/h 22–31 mph | 100–110 km/h 62–68 mph | Slow lines around 35 km/h, fast lines 40–50 km/h. |
| Kolkata local (EMU) | 45 km/h 28 mph | 100–110 km/h 62–68 mph | Up to 130 km/h on the Howrah–Kharagpur main line. |
| Delhi Metro | 32–40 km/h 20–25 mph | 80 km/h 50 mph | Airport Express line runs at 120 km/h. |
| Freight trains | 24 km/h 15 mph | 75 km/h 47 mph | Goods trains average about 24 km/h across the network. |
Bullet train status. The Mumbai–Ahmedabad high-speed line will run E5 Shinkansen sets at 320 km/h. A first section between Surat and Bilimora is targeted for 2027, with the full Mumbai to Sabarmati route expected around 2028–29.
Booked through IRCTC and curious whether your Rajdhani is really doing 130? Open the IRCTC train speed test on your phone near a window and watch the live number. It works on any Indian Railways train, including locals and metro lines above ground.
Japan: Shinkansen and Conventional Lines
Japan’s bullet trains keep very high averages because there are few stops and the lines are dedicated. The Tokaido Shinkansen carries Tokyo to Shin-Osaka, 515 km, in 2 hours 21 minutes.
| Train | Average speed | Top speed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shinkansen Nozomi (Tokaido) | 220 km/h 137 mph | 285–300 km/h 177–186 mph | 285 km/h on the Tokaido section, 300 km/h on the Sanyo section. |
| Shinkansen Hayabusa (Tohoku) | 215 km/h 134 mph | 320 km/h 199 mph | 320 km/h only between Utsunomiya and Morioka; 110 km/h near Tokyo. |
| Limited express | 60–90 km/h 37–56 mph | 95–130 km/h 59–81 mph | Varies by line; the Sonic runs at 130 km/h. |
| Commuter and local | 40–60 km/h 25–37 mph | 100–130 km/h 62–81 mph | Typical Tokyo-area rapid lines are cleared for 100–120 km/h. |
China: Fuxing High-Speed Rail and Maglev
China runs the largest high-speed network in the world. G-class Fuxing trains cruise at 350 km/h on the main trunk lines, taking Beijing to Shanghai, 1,318 km, in about four and a half hours.
| Train | Average speed | Top speed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| CR400 Fuxing (G-trains) | 295 km/h 183 mph | 350 km/h 218 mph | Beijing–Shanghai average; design speed 400 km/h. |
| D-trains (250 km/h class) | 200 km/h 124 mph | 250 km/h 155 mph | Second tier of high-speed service. |
| Conventional K and T trains | 60–90 km/h 37–56 mph | 120–160 km/h 75–99 mph | K trains are limited to 120 km/h, T trains to 140–160. |
| Shanghai Maglev | 245 km/h 152 mph | 300 km/h 186 mph | Ran at 431 km/h until 2021; now capped at 300 km/h. 30 km in about 8 minutes. |
Europe: TGV, ICE, AVE, Frecciarossa, Eurostar
Most European high-speed lines are built for 300–320 km/h. Averages drop where trains share classic lines near cities.
| Train | Average speed | Top speed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| TGV (France) | 240 km/h 149 mph | 300–320 km/h 186–199 mph | Paris–Lyon average; 320 km/h on the LGV Est and Rhin-Rhône. |
| ICE (Germany) | 150–200 km/h 93–124 mph | 300 km/h 186 mph | 320 km/h when running into France; many sections are slower classic track. |
| AVE (Spain) | 250 km/h 155 mph | 310 km/h 193 mph | Madrid–Barcelona, 621 km, in 2 hours 30 minutes. |
| Frecciarossa (Italy) | 200 km/h 124 mph | 300 km/h 186 mph | Rome–Milan in under three hours. |
| Eurostar | 215 km/h 134 mph | 300 km/h 186 mph | Limited to 160 km/h inside the Channel Tunnel. |
| Regional and S-Bahn | 40–90 km/h 25–56 mph | 120–160 km/h 75–99 mph | Berlin S-Bahn averages about 40 km/h; Regional-Express 70–90 km/h. |
United Kingdom
Britain’s intercity fleet is limited to 125 mph (200 km/h) outside HS1. The Underground averages barely 20 mph once station stops are counted.
| Train | Average speed | Top speed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Javelin on HS1 | 140 km/h 87 mph | 225 km/h 140 mph | Fastest domestic service, 140 mph between St Pancras and Ashford. |
| Avanti Pendolino (West Coast) | 130 km/h 81 mph | 200 km/h 124 mph | London–Glasgow, 645 km, in about five hours. |
| LNER Azuma (East Coast) | 160 km/h 99 mph | 200 km/h 124 mph | London–Edinburgh, 632 km, in about four hours. |
| Commuter trains | 50–70 km/h 31–44 mph | 100–160 km/h 62–99 mph | Inner suburban lines 60–70 mph; South West Main Line 100 mph. |
| London Underground | 33 km/h 21 mph | 100 km/h 62 mph | Network average 20.5 mph; Metropolitan line is the fastest. |
United States
Outside the Northeast Corridor, US passenger trains share track with freight and rarely exceed 79 mph. Freight trains themselves average under 30 mph terminal to terminal.
| Train | Average speed | Top speed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amtrak Acela | 105–130 km/h 65–81 mph | 260 km/h 162 mph | 160 mph with the new fleet, but only on about 64 km of the 735 km route. |
| Amtrak Northeast Regional | 90–105 km/h 56–65 mph | 200 km/h 124 mph | 125 mph on the best NEC segments. |
| Brightline (Florida) | 110 km/h 68 mph | 200 km/h 124 mph | 125 mph Orlando–Cocoa; 3 hours 25 minutes for 378 km. |
| Amtrak long-distance | 77 km/h 48 mph | 125–160 km/h 78–99 mph | 48 mph average between stations; 100 mph on a few corridors. |
| Freight (Class I) | 43 km/h 27 mph | 100–120 km/h 62–75 mph | 26.6 mph system average, usually capped at 70 mph. |
| New York City Subway | 27–48 km/h 17–30 mph | 90–105 km/h 56–65 mph | Locals 18–24 mph, express lines up to 28 mph. |
Malaysia
Malaysia’s fastest scheduled train is the non-stop KLIA Ekspres. KTM’s ETS trains on the electrified West Coast Line run at 140 km/h between Gemas, KL Sentral, Ipoh and Padang Besar, while the Klang Valley LRT and MRT lines behave like any metro.
| Train | Average speed | Top speed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| KLIA Ekspres | 120 km/h 75 mph | 160 km/h 99 mph | KL Sentral to KLIA, 57 km non-stop in 28 minutes. |
| KTM ETS | 85–100 km/h 53–62 mph | 140 km/h 87 mph | Cruises at 140 km/h; KL Sentral–Ipoh takes roughly 2 hours 20 minutes with stops. Class 94 sets are designed for 160. |
| KTM Komuter | 40–50 km/h 25–31 mph | 120 km/h 75 mph | Klang Valley commuter EMUs; averages are estimates, since KTMB does not publish one. |
| KL MRT (Kajang, Putrajaya lines) | 35–70 km/h 22–44 mph | 80–100 km/h 50–62 mph | Driverless; 100 km/h in tunnel sections. |
| KL LRT (Kelana Jaya, Ampang lines) | 35–60 km/h 22–37 mph | 70–80 km/h 44–50 mph | Ampang line is the slowest of the Klang Valley rail lines. |
Australia
Australia has no high-speed line. The ceiling for regular passenger service is 160 km/h, shared by the Queensland Tilt Train, the NSW XPT and Victoria’s VLocity railcars. Suburban networks average 30–65 km/h.
| Train | Average speed | Top speed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Queensland Tilt Train | 85 km/h 53 mph | 160 km/h 99 mph | Brisbane–Rockhampton; also holds the Australian record of 210 km/h from a 1999 test run. |
| NSW TrainLink XPT | 70–80 km/h 44–50 mph | 160 km/h 99 mph | Sydney to Melbourne, Brisbane and Dubbo; designed for 200 km/h. |
| V/Line VLocity | 70–90 km/h 44–56 mph | 160 km/h 99 mph | Victorian regional railcars; Melbourne–Geelong in about an hour. |
| Sydney Trains suburban | 43 km/h 27 mph | 115–130 km/h 71–81 mph | Main Suburban line average; Sydney Metro sections are cleared for 100 km/h. |
| Melbourne Metro suburban | 30–65 km/h 19–40 mph | 130 km/h 81 mph | Outer lines with fewer stops run fastest; the Metro Tunnel is capped at 80 km/h. |
| Brisbane Airtrain | 43 km/h 27 mph | 100 km/h 62 mph | Central to the domestic terminal in about 22 minutes. |
Why Is the Average So Much Lower Than the Top Speed?
- Station stops — Every halt costs several minutes of braking, dwell time and acceleration. A local train with a stop every two kilometres never gets near its maximum.
- Speed restrictions — Curves, bridges, junctions, level crossings and worksites all carry lower limits. On Indian Railways, only a fraction of track is cleared for 130 km/h or more.
- Shared track — Passenger expresses queue behind slower freight and passenger trains on the same line. This is why Amtrak long-distance trains and Indian mail trains average under 80 km/h.
- Schedule padding — Timetables include recovery time so trains can still arrive on time after small delays.
Measure Your Own Train's Speed
The tables above are timetable averages. To see what your train is doing right now, use the free GPS speedometer to calculate your train speed live. No app, no signup, and your location never leaves your phone. First time? Read how to check train speed on your phone.
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