Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw inaugurated the Vande Bharat train’s new prototype at ICF Chennai on Friday (12 August).
Braving many hurdles, the third Vande Bharat train with improved acceleration and comfortable ride is finally slated to be on track soon.
This next generation Vande Bharat is, however, a bit different from those two already in operation. While the acceleration is faster than the earlier ones, there are changes in the coach interiors.
The 160-kmph train will be on trial for 45 days after coming out of the ICF and is expected to be ready for commercial operation before Durga Puja.
Railways plans to deploy as many as 475 such trains in the next four years to cover all the states.
Currently, two Vande Bharat trains are running between New Delhi-Varanasi and New Delhi-Katra stations.
Some features of the new Vande Bharat train
According to ICF, while the earlier ones picked up 160 kmph in 180 seconds, the newer one can accelerate to 160 kmph in 140 seconds.
The train set has been designed for acceleration reserve, which will help in maintaining the speed in slope also.
While the earlier Vande Bharat train set has a one-hour battery backup, this one has three hours of backup.
There are changes in seating, with all coaches having recycling seats while only Executive Class is equipped with such a facility in the existing Vande Bharat trains. Also, reclining chairs in all coaches and rotating chairs in executive class provide more comfort to passengers.
The new Vande Bharat trains will have automatic doors, and Passengers will not be allowed to board or de-board moving trains, reports Financial Express.
Specially designed toilets for differently-abled passengers make the new train inclusive, and bio-vacuum type toilets make it environment friendly.
All coaches of the new train are equipped with emergency lighting, a GPS-based audio-visual passenger information system, and onboard hotspot Wi-Fi for entertainment purposes.
Safety features of the new train include emergency lighting in all coaches, platform side and rearview cameras and anti-collision Kavach technology.