According to official data released on Friday, Indian Railways has made comprehensive timetable changes under the Trains Time Table (TAG) 2026, introducing 122 new trains and speeding up 549 services across the country to reduce travel time, improve punctuality and increase operational efficiency.Under TAG 2026, Indian Railways has not only added new services but also expanded existing routes, increased frequencies and converted select trains to superfast services across all railway zones, reflecting a system-wide effort to improve passenger convenience.
122 new trains added in all categories
Of the 122 new trains introduced in 2025, the largest share includes 60 mail/express services, followed by 28 Vande Bharat trains to strengthen semi-high-speed connectivity. It also includes 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.
Speed of 549 trains increased to improve punctuality
A total of 549 trains have been speeded up in the zones under TAG 2026. Of these, 376 trains saw a reduction of 5-15 minutes, 105 trains 16-30 minutes, 48 trains 31-59 minutes and 20 trains saw a reduction of 60 minutes or more, leading to significant reduction in travel time on many major routes.
Zone-wise expansion and speed upgrades
The scale of change varies sharply across railway zones. South Western Railways (SWR) emerged as the biggest beneficiary, introducing eight new trains and accelerating 117 services, the highest among all zones. North Western Railways (NWR) added 12 new trains and sped up 89 services, while Western Railways (WR) introduced 10 new trains and sped up 80 services.Southern Railway (SR) introduced six new trains and increased the speed of 75 services, while Northern Railway (NR) added 20 new trains, extended 10 services and increased the speed of 24 trains. East Central Railway (ECR) recorded a major expansion with the introduction of 20 new trains, 20 extensions and speed increase of 12 trains.Notable changes were seen in other areas also. Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) introduced 10 new trains and speeded up 36 services, while Central Railway (CR) added four new trains, extended six services and speeded up 30 trains. Eastern Railway (ER) introduced six new trains and sped up 32 services, while East Coast Railway (ECOR) added four new trains and sped up 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, 26 Amrit Bharat trains (four through TAG-TOD), as well as two Rajdhani, two Jan Shatabdi, two Humsafar and two Namo Bharat Rapid Rail services to strengthen semi-high-speed connectivity.
Travel time cut in 549 trains
Improving speed is a key pillar of TAG 2026. Of the 549 trains sped up, 376 services saw time savings of 5-15 minutes, 105 trains saw 16-30 minutes, 48 trains saw 31-59 minutes, and 20 trains saw 60 minutes or more.Regions such as SWR, NWR, WR and SR took a large share of these benefits, focusing on reducing end-to-end travel times on high-density corridors.
