PM Narendra Modi to flag off South India's first Vande Bharat Express train on Nov 11, Trial run begins

Indian Railways has begun the trial run of the Chennai-Mysore Vande Bharat Express train ahead of the flag off on November 11, 2022. The trial run has started from Chennai's MG Ramachandran Central Railway station. The Chennai-Mysore Vande Bharat Express train will be flagged off by PM Narendra Modi on November 11, the first such indigenously-built high-speed rail in the southern part of India. This will the country's fifth Vande Bharat semi high speed train. The first Vande Bharat Express train was flagged off on February 15, 2019, on the New Delhi-Kanpur-Allahabad-Varanasi route. The government has dedicated significant efforts towards strengthening the 'Make in India' campaign, and Vande Bharat Express is one of the success stories.

South India to get its first Vande Bharat soon!

Trial run of Vande Bharat Express between Chennai and Mysuru conducted successfully. pic.twitter.com/HIWxUgLcwy — Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia) November 7, 2022

What is unique about Vande Bharat Express?

Speed, safety, and service are the hallmarks of this train. Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai, a Railways Production unit, has been the force behind the system integration of these rails in just 18 months. The Vande Bharat Express can run up to a maximum speed of 160 kmph and has travel classes like Shatabdi Train but with a better travel experience for passengers.

This train is the next major leap for Indian Railways in terms of speed and convenience.It can achieve high speeds due to faster acceleration and deceleration and will reduce journey time by 25 percent to 45 percent.

For example, the scheduled commute between New Delhi and Varanasi will take approximately eight hours making it 40-50 percent faster than the fastest train currently connecting these two cities.

Besides, all coaches are equipped with automatic doors; a GPS-based audio-visual passenger information system, onboard hotspot Wi-Fi for entertainment purposes, and very comfortable seating. The executive class also has rotating chairs. All toilets are bio-vacuum type. The lighting is dual mode -- diffused for general illumination and personal for every seat.

The side recliner seat facility which is being provided to Executive Class passengers will now be made available for all classes. The Executive Coaches have the added feature of 180-degree rotating seats. The train will also have bio-vacuum toilets with touch-free amenities.

Every coach has a pantry with facilities to serve hot meals and hot and cold beverages. The insulation is meant to keep heat and noise to very low levels for additional passenger comfort. Each Vande Bharat Express has a total seating capacity of 1,128 passengers.

Safety Aspects

The Vande Bharat 2.0 trains have the KAVACH (Train Collision Avoidance System) for enhanced safety in operations. There will be improved security with four emergency windows added in every coach. There will be four platform side cameras including rearview cameras outside the coach instead of two earlier.

The new coaches have Level-II safety integration certification for better train control. The Vande Bharat 2.0 will also have better fire safety measures with Aerosol based fire detection and suppression system in all electrical cubicles and toilets.

A superior floodproofing for under-slung electrical equipment will be installed to withstand floods up to 650 mm in height compared to 400 mm earlier. The train will also have four emergency lighting in every coach in case of electric failure.