India, Jan. 25 -- Sir,

The Mysuru-Bengaluru railway line has been doubled, electrified and upgraded for speeds of up to 110 kmph. However, trains on this section are now slower than they were earlier on the single diesel line.

To glorify Vande Bharat service, Shatabdi Express has been slowed to a travel time of 2 hours and 15 minutes, despite being capable of completing the journey in just 1 hour and 45 minutes. It was achieving this timing before introduction of Vande Bharat and is also significantly cheaper. Similarly, several express trains are capable of reaching Bengaluru in around 2 hours and 15 mins. Indian Railways is investing heavily in upgrading tracks for higher speeds - from 100-110 kmph to 130 kmph. However, these increase...