As part of the continuous effort for transforming the experience of Indian Railways, five new Vande Bharat Express have been launched today by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
With this latest development in the network of the indigenously designed Vande Bharat, it now has 23 different routes running across several important cities and towns in the country.
The newly introduced routes include — Mumbai-Goa, Patna-Ranchi, Bengaluru-Hubballi, Indore-Bhopal and Bhopal- Jabalpur.
The map depicts the comprehensive network of these trains, showcasing the remarkable growth of Vande Bharat.
Through continuous expansions, Vande Bharat now spans across 23 states/Union Territories, connecting an extensive network of 126 stations.
Vande Bharat Express train is India’s first Semi High-Speed train set with quick acceleration and contemporary passenger amenities.
According to the Railways, these trains are leading examples of Make-in-India initiative, and mark a significant progress for the country’s railway network and the enhancement of passenger experiences.
The Vande Bharat Express was inaugurated on its very first route connecting the capital city of Delhi to the holy city of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh On 18 February 2019.
With continuous introduction of new trains, the capital city now has six operational routes connecting to Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand.
Similarly, Maharashtra now has four operational routes connecting to Solapur and Shirdi within the state, along with two routes to Gujarat and Goa.
These trains have also reached the northeastern India, with the recent launch of region’s first Vande Bharat between New Jalpaiguri and Guwahati. The network awaits to expand to the other states of the region corresponding to the route electrification.
As per a recent report, while talking to Swarajya, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said currently Vande Bharat train cannot run in Tripura because the route electrification is not complete yet in the state.
Expansion Plans For Vande Bharat
The Indian Railways is also gearing up to introduce Vande Bharat sleeper trains on long-distance routes. At present, these trains have seating arrangement only with Executive Class and Chair Car.
According to a recent Swarajya report, a consortium led by Titagarh Rail Systems Limited (TRSL) and Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited signed a contract on Wednesday (14 June) with Indian Railways for manufacturing and maintenance of 80 fully assembled Vande Bharat sleeper train sets.
Additionally, following the successful model of the Vande Bharat Express, the Railways plans to introduce Vande Metro trains by 2024 — for local and suburban services across the country.
As part of the plan, the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) has also invited tenders for 238 Vande Metro air-conditioned rakes, to upgrade Mumbai’s suburban rail system.
As per reports, a total of 2,856 cars will be procured, through the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) and will replace the non-AC trains currently in use on the Mumbai local rail network.