Trains on the Lucknow–Kanpur railway route will now operate at speeds of up to 120 km/h, bringing down travel time to 40–45 minutes from the earlier 75–90 minutes. The upgrade is expected to save daily travel time for nearly 50,000 passengers who use the route. The speed increase follows repairs of the old Ganga Rail Bridge, where train speeds have risen from 10 km/h to 45 km/h. The bridge underwent extensive maintenance, including the installation of H-beam sleepers during daily nine-hour mega blocks.
Track upgrades completed, trials successful
Track modernisation along the route is now largely complete. High-speed trials involving the Swarn Shatabdi Express, Chitrakoot Express and Tejas Express have been conducted successfully, confirming the route’s readiness for increased speeds.
Following an inspection in December 2024, work to enhance speeds has been ongoing. Ashutosh Singh, Director of Kanpur Central, stated that the long-term effort to improve operational efficiency is now bearing fruit, with passengers set to benefit from faster and more reliable service.
