July 3, 2014
A new transportation record for India was set when a WAP-5 electric locomotive hauled a passenger train from the urban district and nation’s capital city of New Delhi to the city of Agra within 90 minutes and at a speed of 100 miles (160 kilometers) per hour. (The distance between those locations is 124 miles or 200 kilometers.) “This is now the fastest train in India,” announced divisional railway manager Anurag Sachan to reporters after the test run was completed. The WAP-5 used on that Thursday trek reduced by more than two-thirds the average railroad travel time between New Delhi and Agra.
This trial journey from India’s capital to the hometown of the Taj Mahal was a key part of the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to promote potential improvements and upgrades for the rail system nationwide. The test run came nowhere near shattering any global records for travel via rail – Japan’s Shinkansen bullet trains that have been hugely admired by Modi can reach speeds of up to 199 miles (320 kilometers) per hour – but it was definitely a milestone within India. In addition, that test run helped highlight the demands of Modi and others to further modernize an aging rail network that nonetheless remains a top choice for long-distance trips throughout one of the largest and most populous nations in the world.
For more information on the record-setting 2014 train run between New Delhi and Agra, please check out http://www.govemployees.in/2014/07/03/200-km-90-mins-delhi-agra-high-speed-train-sets-new-speed-record/.
Transportation History 
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