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India’s first semi-high speed train 'Vande Bharat Express' launched
India’s first semi-high speed train 'Vande Bharat Express' launched: Details, Features, Route, Key Highlights
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 15th February 2019, launched India's first Semi High-Speed Train, ‘Vande Bharat Express’ on New Delhi-Kanpur-Allahabad-Varanasi route from the New Delhi Railway Station.
Vande Bharat Express or Train-18 is regarded as a successor to the 30-year-old Shatabdi Express and it will cover the distance between New Delhi and Varanasi in 8 hours at speed of 160 kmph and will run on all days except Mondays and Thursdays.
Vande Bharat Express is the first long-distance train without separate locomotive (engine) and is driven by a self-propulsion module. It will cut travel time by 15 percent compared to the Shatabdi Express.
Vande Bharat Express has been developed by the Chennai-based Integral Coach Factory (ICF) at an investment of nearly Rs 100 crore. It is a fully air-conditioned train and is equipped with CCTV cameras.
It has 16 coaches with Chair Car type configuration with 2 Executive Class Chair Cars and 14 Chair Cars.
It has two executive compartments in the middle with 52 seats each and the trailer coaches would have 78 seats each.
It has soft lighting, automatic doors, footsteps, and GPS-based audio-visual Passenger Information System.
It has an intelligent braking system with power regeneration for better energy efficiency thereby making it cost, energy and environment are efficient.
The footstep in a coach’s doorway slides outward when the train stops at a station enabling passengers to board or deboard safely with comfort.
It has bio-vacuum toilets, inter-connected fully sealed gangways, automatic doors with retractable footsteps, onboard Wi-Fi and infotainment, and modular toilets with bio-vacuum systems.
It also has the provision of Divyang-friendly facilities.
It also features rotational seats which can be aligned in the direction of travel (executive class), roller blinds and diffused LED lighting, and disabled-friendly toilets.
