India has launched its “fastest train” capable of running at a maximum speed of 160km (100 miles) an hour. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu flagged off the Gatimaan Express, which connects Nizamuddin station in the capital, Delhi, with the northern town of Agra. The train covered the 200 km distance in 100 minutes. Until now, India’s fastest train was the Rajdhani Express which could travel at a maximum speed of 130 km/hr. The passengers will have options of different kinds of cuisine, free wifi and on-board entertainment.

The train, painted in blue and grey with a streak of bright yellow in the middle, sputtered to a start but soon picked up speed as it crossed the Okhla railway station and from there on, completed its journey at a tearing speed, even as the 237 passengers on board settled down in their cushy seats of the spanking clean AC Chair Car coaches.

• Indian Railways is the third largest railway network in the world, but it has been in desperate need of modernisation.
• The government, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has promised to upgrade and modernise the creaking rail service, including introducing bullet trains which could reach speeds of 400 km/h.
• At present, most Indian trains average under 60 km/h.
• Some trains around the world have reached a much faster speed.
• A Japanese magnetic levitation train broke the world speed record in 2015, reaching a top speed of 603km/h (374mph).