Indian Railways will introduce its 11th Vande Bharat Express train from 1 April, running between Bhopal (Rani Kamlapati railway station) and New Delhi.
The Delhi-Bhopal Vande Bharat express with a travel time of seven hours and 50 minutes will cover a distance of 709 Km via Agra Cantt station.
The Vande Bharat Express will be faster than the Shatabdi Express by an hour and will depart from the Bhopal division early in the morning, meeting a long-standing demand from commuters who had to reach the national capital a day before their international flights departing in the afternoon.
The 16-coach train set boasts a new design for the propulsion system and bogies, allowing it to reach a maximum speed of 160 Kmph in the Palwal-Agra section, 130 Kmph in the Agra-Lalitpur section, and 120 Kmph in the Lalitpur-Bina section.
To avoid timing conflicts with an already operating train that departs to Delhi on Saturdays at 5.55 am, Vande Bharat express will be given rest on that day, according to a railway official quoted in a Economic Times report.
This 24-hour pause will allow the railways to inspect and strengthen the rail track, as well as overhaul the train, the official said.
Vande Bharat Express will leave Rani Kamlapati railway station at 5.55 am, stop at Agra Cantt railway station at 11.40 am for five minutes, and arrive at New Delhi at 1.45 pm, according to the proposed schedule.
On return journey, the Vande Bharat train will depart from New Delhi at 2.45 pm, reach Agra Cantt at 4.45 pm and terminate at Rani Kamlapati railway station at 10.45 pm.
Vande Bharat Express tickets are expected to cost 10-15 per cent more than Shatabdi Express fares.
Schedule and fare chart is pending railway board approval, according to an official.