Come 2024, India will have three versions of Vande Bharat trains, as the Indian Railways is gearing up to introduce two new variants of the semi-high speed trains.
The eagerly awaited Vande Metro and Vande Sleepers will join the blue and white-coloured fleet by February-March next year, ushering in a new era of modern and comfortable travel for passengers across the country.
All you need to know about the next-gen Vande Bharat trains
Vande Metro
The ‘mini’ variant of Vande Bharat Express will be specifically tailored for distances less than 100 kilometres. It will run at a high frequency of 4 to 5 times a day, primarily serving major cities with a periphery spanning 50-60 kilometres.
Giving details about the new service, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said, “The Vande Metro is most likely to commence operations in Odisha in the early months of 2024.”
“The proposed route is between Puri-Bhubaneswar-Cuttack and it is expected to be operational by January or February 2024,” he said in an interview with PTI.
In Mumbai, suburban trains, the lifeline of the city, will soon be replaced by Vande Metro as a decision to procure over 200 rakes has been taken, as per media reports. They will then be added to the Mumbai railway corridors that span about 320 kilometres.
Vande Sleepers
This new ‘Make in India’ train will be designed to reach speeds of 200 kmph and cover a journey of more than 550 kilometres. These long-distance trains will eventually replace Rajdhani Express trains.
The only functioning Vande Bharat train in India
Vande Bharat chair car
Currently, the Vande Bharat chair car train is the only variant running on railway tracks. With the launch of the Delhi-Dehradun route on May 25, 2023, it is now operational on 17 routes across India.
The bullet-shaped train has been designed to cover a distance between 100-550 kilometres and will soon take the place of the Shatabdi Express on the tracks.
Enjoy the much-needed travel upgrades on this train!
With Vande Bharat and its variants, the railways aim to provide a more comfortable, efficient and reliable experience as compared to what was being provided earlier.
Each coach of the new express train has its pantry, providing convenient access to food and beverages. Passengers can also enjoy the luxury of 32-inch infotainment screens, bio-vacuum washrooms, automatic doors, and a GPS-based audio-visual passenger information system.
(Hero and feature image credit: Harshul12345/CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikipedia)
Related: Now Escape Delhi’s Heat As Vande Bharat Express Enters Uttarakhand
Ruchit Rastogi
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