On a historic day for the Indian Railways, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday flagged off five new and upgraded versions of Vande Bharat Express trains at Rani Kamalapati Station in Bhopal.
Madhya Pradesh Governor Mangubhai Patel, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, public representatives and special guests were present at the venue.
Heralding a new era of comfortable and enhanced rail travel experience, the five new Vande Bharat Express trains are running between Rani Kamalapati-Jabalpur, Rani Kamalapati-Indore, Goa (Madgaon)-Mumbai, Ranchi-Patna, and Dharwad-Bengaluru.
These Vande Bharat trains will improve connectivity among the state capitals and other cities, reduce travelling time and enhance comfort of journey. With the launch of the new services on Tuesday, their total number has reached 23.
The Rani Kamalapati–Jabalpur Vande Bharat Express train will depart from Rani Kamlapati Railway Station and will reach Jabalpur station the same day with stoppages at Narsinghpur, Pipariya and Narmadapuram Railway stations.
With the operation of this Vande Bharat train, connectivity of Jabalpur, the cultural capital of Madhya Pradesh and Bhopal, the Capital of Madhya Pradesh, and nearby religious places and tourist places, will increase as well as, improve all-round development of the region.
The Bhopal–Indore Vande Bharat Express train will depart from Bhopal Railway Station and reach Indore station the same day with stoppage at Ujjain Railway station. The running of this train between Rani Kamalapati and Indore will facilitate easy and fast travel, and be an important medium to connect cultural, tourism and pilgrimage places of these regions.
The Goa (Madgaon)-Mumbai Vande Bharat Express train will depart from Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Station, Mumbai and reach Madgaon station the same day with stoppages at Dadar, Thane, Panvel, Khed, Ratnagiri, Kankavali and Thivim Railway stations.
The state-of-the-art Vande Bharat Express will provide speed and comfort in travel to people of the Konkan region. It will boost tourism in the area. It is expected that the new Vande Bharat Train on this route will add new dimension in facilitating tourists.
The Ranchi-Patna new Vande Bharat Express train will depart from Patna and reach Ranchi station the same day, with stoppages at Gaya, Kodarma, Hazaribag, Barkakana and Mesra Railway stations.
Blessed with mineral resources in abundance, Ranchi is an ideal place for mineral based industries. The train will be beneficial for local traders and businessmen for faster connectivity with Patna.
The Dharwad-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express train will depart from KSR Bengaluru City and reach Dharwad station the same day, with stoppages at Yeshvantpur, Davangere and Hubballi Railway stations.
This train will connect Vidya Kashi Dharwad, Vanijya Nagari, Hubballi and Bengaluru. It will be a link between North Karnataka and South Karnataka.
The Vande Bharat Express trains offer a myriad of superior amenities with world class comfortable travelling experience and state-of-the-art safety features including KAVACH technology.
Each train has been provided with bogies having fully suspended traction motors for 160 kmph operational speed. The advanced state-of-the-art suspension system ensures smooth and safe journey and enhanced riding comfort for passengers.
The trains have been designed to increase Indian Railways’ Green footprint by dispensing with power cars and saving about 30 per cent electricity with advanced regenerative braking system.