By increasing train speeds to up to 160 kmph, Indian Railways plans to reduce the distance between New Delhi and Kolkata by at least two and a half hours. Currently, the Rajdhani Express travels the 1525 km route in the lowest amount of time, taking 17.5 hours to do it via Gaya in Bihar. The train will be able to make the same trip in less than 15 hours with improved speed.

The ambitious Mission Raftar project of Indian Railways, which seeks to reduce travel times along congested corridors by operating passenger trains at a speed of 160 km, would include a plan to shorten the distance between the two stations.

The route's previous maximum authorized speed was 130 kmph. The project to increase the sectional speed along the New Delhi–Howrah route to 160 km (including Kanpur–Lucknow) has already been approved.

According to a railway official, passengers traveling along with the New Delhi to Howrah route will be able to get to their destination at least two and a half to three hours earlier thanks to an increase in train speed from the present 85 km to a maximum of 160 km.

Indian Railways will install fencing, modify the overhead equipment, and install automatic train protection on the route to make the tracks more speed-ready.

The overhead apparatus will be equipped with the most recent technology, similar to that utilized by France, Germany, South Africa, and China.

The 1,483-km New Delhi–Mumbai route is already undergoing a similar strategy to reduce travel time. After the project is finished, the railway anticipates that the distance between Mumbai and Delhi will be covered in at least an hour less time.

Mission Raftaar's plan to speed up trains on the Mumbai-Delhi and Delhi-Howrah routes was announced with a September 2023 completion date. However, Indian Railways appeared optimistic about finishing the job ahead of schedule.