Last Updated: May 22, 2023, 19:03 IST
According to the Railways Ministry, the country will operate 400 Vande Bharat trains soon.
The new Vande Bharat train coaches will be made of aluminium and will be added to trains that cover a distance of more than 500 kilometres.
The Vande Bharat trains have become extremely popular among commuters ever since their inception. It is the first series of semi-high-speed trains in India to be furnished with top-notch amenities for passengers. While operating at 130 kmph to consider safety issues, it may reach a top speed of 180 kmph. The journey time is cut by 25% to 45% on most routes.
These semi-high-speed trains have accelerated rail travel on shorter routes such as Chennai to Bengaluru, where you can reach each city’s centre in just under four and a half hours, beating out air travel by a few hours. Now, the Vande Bharat trains are getting sleeper coaches as well. The government plans to add sleeper coaches to Vande Bharat trains for long-distance travel. So far, all the Vande Bharat trains being run in the country are chair cars.
The new coaches will be made of aluminium and will be added to trains that cover a distance of more than 500 kilometres, as per a statement by the Minister for Railways. According to the Ministry, the country will operate 400 Vande Bharat trains. The railway facility in Latur, Maharashtra and ICF in Chennai will make these coaches. A contract for the production of 200 Vande Bharat trains has been released. 120 Vande Bharat coaches will be made by the lowest-priced bidder, and 80 coaches will be made by the second-lowest bidder.
Presently, Vande Bharat trains are being manufactured at ICF, Chennai. In the next phase, approval has been given to make them Bharat at MCF, Rae Bareli. Apart from this, the trains will be made at Latur Rail Factory and BHEL. It is expected that 75 Vande Bharat will start running by August 2023 and the rest will be made in record time subsequently. The Railway Minister said that Vande Bharat will start operating between Delhi-Dehradun on May 25. Moreover, the trial of Vande Bharat is going on for Guwahati and Goa as well.