The new version of the Vande Bharat Express train is a game changer for rail development projects in the country, Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw told ANI on Thursday during a journey onboard the newly launched Vande Bharat Express.

Vaishnaw said that PM Modi has announced 75 Vande Bharat Trains to connect all parts of the country by August 2022. In this series, we have launched Vande Bharat Express from Amb Andaura, Una to New Delhi, today.

Advertisement

This is a world-class train and gives a better riding experience. This is equipped with more advancements and improved features such as reaching a speed of 0 to 100 kilometres per hour in just 52 seconds, and a maximum speed of up to 180 kilometres per hour. Taking about the cattle hit cases on railway tracks, the Minister said that in our country railway tracks are on ground level. On average 80 cases of cattle hit happened every day. It is a matter of concern for us. The front part of the train is designed in such a way that whenever any incident of collision happens, the kinetic energy of the train is absorbed it. Those who are making the wrong assumption in this should understand that it is part of the engineering design.

Vaishnaw further said that we are working on the plan to fence the railway track. Also, we are working to build elevated tracks in densely populated areas. In the coming 3 to 4 years we will implement this plan in many areas. Today, the tested speed of this train is 180 KMPH. When tracks will be upgraded in the coming days, we will increase their speed to 220-250 KMPH.

It is notable that Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the inaugural run of the new Vande Bharat Express from Amb Andaura, Una to New Delhi, today. Modi inspected the train coaches of the Vande Bharat Express and took stock of the onboard facilities. He also inspected the control centre of the locomotive engine of Vande Bharat Express and Una railway station.

The introduction of the train will help boost tourism in the region and provide a comfortable and faster mode of travel. The travel time from Una to New Delhi will be reduced by two hours. Running from Amb Andaura to New Delhi, it will be the fourth Vande Bharat train to be introduced in the country and is an advanced version compared to the earlier ones, being much lighter and capable of reaching higher speeds in a shorter duration.

It is also worth mentioning that the improved Vande Bharat Express will weigh 392 tons when compared to the previous version of 430 tons. It will also have a Wi-Fi content on-demand facility. Every coach has 32″ screens providing passenger information and infotainment compared to 24″ in the previous version. Vande Bharat Express will also be environmentally friendly as the ACs will be 15 per cent more energy efficient. With dust-free clean air cooling of the traction motor, travel will become more comfortable. A side recliner seat facility provided only to Executive Class passengers earlier will now be made available for all classes. Executive Coaches have the added feature of 180-degree rotating seats.

In the new design of Vande Bharat Express, a photo-catalytic ultraviolet air purification system is installed in the Roof-Mounted Package Unit (RMPU) for air purification. As recommended by Central Scientific Instruments Organisation (CSIO), Chandigarh, this system is designed and installed on both ends of RMPU to filter and clean the air free from germs, bacteria, viruses etc. coming through fresh air and return air.

The Vande Bharat Express 2.0 offers a myriad of superior and aircraft-like travelling experiences. It is equipped with advanced state-of-the-art safety features including an indigenously developed Train Collision Avoidance System – KAVACH.