Indian Railways timetable: 549 trains sped up, 122 new added; what TAG 2026 means for passengers
Indian Railways introduces a major timetable change, TAG 2026. This plan adds 122 new trains and speeds up 549 existing services across the country. The goal is to reduce travel times and improve punctuality. New Vande Bharat and Amrit Bharat trains are part of this expansion.
Indian Railways has rolled out a sweeping timetable overhaul under the Timetable of Trains (TAG) 2026, introducing 122 new trains and speeding up 549 services nationwide to reduce travel time, improve punctuality and enhance operational efficiency, according to official data released on Friday.Under TAG 2026, Indian Railways has not only added new services but also extended existing routes, increased frequencies and converted select trains into superfast services across all railway zones, reflecting a system-wide push to improve passenger convenience.
122 new trains added across categories
Of the 122 new trains introduced in 2025, the largest share comprises 60 Mail/Express services, followed by 28 Vande Bharat trains to strengthen semi-high-speed connectivity.
The additions also include 26 Amrit Bharat trains, 2 Rajdhani, 2 Jan Shatabdi, 2 Humsafar, and 2 Namo Bharat Rapid Rail services. Some of these were introduced under the TAG–Time on Demand (TAG-TOD) framework.
549 trains sped up to improve punctuality
A total of 549 trains have been speeded up across zones under TAG 2026. Of these, 376 trains saw a reduction of 5–15 minutes, 105 trains by 16–30 minutes, 48 trains by 31–59 minutes, and 20 trains by 60 minutes or more, significantly cutting journey times on several key routes.
Zone-wise expansion and speed upgrades
The scale of changes varies sharply across railway zones. The South Western Railway (SWR) emerged as the biggest beneficiary, introducing eight new trains and speeding up 117 services, the highest among all zones. The North Western Railway (NWR) added 12 new trains and speeded up 89 services, while the Western Railway (WR) introduced 10 new trains and accelerated 80 services.The Southern Railway (SR) introduced six new trains and speeded up 75 services, while the Northern Railway (NR) added 20 new trains, extended 10 services and speeded up 24 trains.
The East Central Railway (ECR) recorded a major expansion with 20 new trains, 20 extensions, and 12 trains speeded up.Other zones also saw notable changes. The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) introduced 10 new trains and sped up 36 services, while the Central Railway (CR) added four new trains, extended six services and sped up 30 trains. The Eastern Railway (ER) introduced six new trains and sped up 32 services, while the East Coast Railway (ECOR) added four new trains and accelerated three.
Mix of premium, express and passenger trains
Of the 122 new trains introduced, 60 are Mail/Express services, including eight under the TAG–Time on Demand (TAG-TOD) framework. Indian Railways also added 28 Vande Bharat trains to strengthen semi-high-speed connectivity, 26 Amrit Bharat trains (four via TAG-TOD), along with two Rajdhani, two Jan Shatabdi, two Humsafar, and two Namo Bharat Rapid Rail services.