Prime Minister Modi flagged off ten new Vande Bharat trains on Tuesday, 12th March 2024. India now has 50+ trains of this type running across the nation.
Here’s a complete list of these trains launched in chronological order.
| S.No. | Service | Inaugural Run |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Delhi–Varanasi | February 15, 2019 |
| 2 | New Delhi–SMVD Katra | October 3, 2019 |
| 3 | Mumbai Central–Gandhinagar Capital | September 30, 2022 |
| 4 | New Delhi–Amb Andaura | October 13, 2022 |
| 5 | MGR Chennai Central–Mysuru | November 11, 2022 |
| 6 | Bilaspur–Nagpur | December 11, 2022 |
| 7 | Howrah–New Jalpaiguri | December 30, 2022 |
| 8 | Visakhapatnam–Secunderabad | January 15, 2023 |
| 9 | Mumbai CSMT–Solapur | February 10, 2023 |
| 10 | Mumbai CSMT–Sainagar Shirdi | February 10, 2023 |
| 11 | Rani Kamalapati (Habibganj)–Hazrat Nizamuddin | April 1, 2023 |
| 12 | Secunderabad–Tirupati | April 8, 2023 |
| 13 | MGR Chennai Central–Coimbatore | April 8, 2023 |
| 14 | Ajmer–Chandigarh | April 12, 2023 |
| 15 | Kasaragod–Thiruvananthapuram (via Kottayam) | April 25, 2023 |
| 16 | Howrah–Puri | May 18, 2023 |
| 17 | Dehradun–Anand Vihar Terminal | May 25, 2023 |
| 18 | New Jalpaiguri–Guwahati | May 29, 2023 |
| 19 | Mumbai CSMT–Madgaon | June 27, 2023 |
| 20 | Patna–Ranchi | June 27, 2023 |
| 21 | KSR Bengaluru–Dharwad | June 27, 2023 |
| 22 | Rani Kamalapati (Habibganj)–Rewa | June 27, 2023 |
| 23 | Indore–Nagpur | June 27, 2023 |
| 24 | Jodhpur–Sabarmati (Ahmedabad) | July 7, 2023 |
| 25 | Gorakhpur–Prayagraj (Allahabad) | July 7, 2023 |
| 26 | Udaipur City–Jaipur | September 24, 2023 |
| 27 | MGR Chennai Central–Vijayawada | September 24, 2023 |
| 28 | Chennai Egmore–Tirunelveli | September 24, 2023 |
| 29 | Kacheguda–Yesvantpur | September 24, 2023 |
| 30 | Patna–Howrah | September 24, 2023 |
| 31 | Ranchi–Howrah | September 24, 2023 |
| 32 | Puri–Rourkela | September 24, 2023 |
| 33 | Mangaluru Central–Thiruvananthapuram (via Alappuzha) | September 24, 2023 |
| 34 | Ahmedabad–Okha | September 24, 2023 |
| 35 | Varanasi–New Delhi | December 18, 2023 |
| 36 | Anand Vihar Terminal–Ayodhya Cantonment | December 30, 2023 |
| 37 | SMVD Katra–New Delhi | December 30, 2023 |
| 38 | Amritsar–Delhi Junction | December 30, 2023 |
| 39 | Coimbatore–Bengaluru Cantonment | December 30, 2023 |
| 40 | Mangaluru Central–Madgaon | December 30, 2023 |
| 41 | Jalna–Mumbai CSMT | December 30, 2023 |
| 42 | Kalaburagi (Gulbarga)–SMVT Bengaluru | March 12, 2024 |
| 43 | New Jalpaiguri–Patna | March 12, 2024 |
| 44 | Lucknow–Dehradun | March 12, 2024 |
| 45 | Ahmedabad–Mumbai Central | March 12, 2024 |
| 46 | Mysuru Junction–MGR Chennai Central | March 12, 2024 |
| 47 | Hazrat Nizamuddin–Khajuraho | March 12, 2024 |
| 48 | Secunderabad–Visakhapatnam | March 12, 2024 |
| 49 | Ranchi–Varanasi | March 12, 2024 |
| 50 | Bhubaneswar–Visakhapatnam | March 12, 2024 |
| 51 | Patna–Gomti Nagar (Lucknow) | March 12, 2024 |
What are Vande Bharat Trains
Here’s a short piece of info on Vande Bharat for those new to it. These trains are medium-distance superfast trains. These trains connect cities between distances less than 800 km and take merely 10 hours at the max to travel. The trains feature state-of-the-art facilities for travellers, offering a comfortable journey.
Electric Multiple Units (EMUs) with eight or sixteen carriages that can move independently make up the trainsets. It means these trains do not require an engine. This technology, the distributed traction power system, is gaining popularity worldwide for public transportation. The brain behind the design is the Research Design and Standards Organisation, while the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai manufactured it.
The first Vandra Bharat train ran on the tracks on 15th February 2019. The train can achieve the highest speed is limited to 160 km/h (Rani Kamalapati (Habibganj)–Hazrat Nizamuddin Vande Bharat Express on the Tughlakabad–Agra section.- source Wikipedia) is the highest speed that it can achieve due to technical constraints. The average speed has been 83 km/h.
Improvised Vande Bharat Express
An accident concerning cattle runover led to the problem in one of these trains, prompting the administration to think of advancing to an evolved version. Following the contract to manufacture second-generation trainsets was given to Medha Servo Drives, Alstom, Siemens, Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. (BHEL), Titagarh Wagons, Saini Electricals and CGL.
Disruption of wheel delivery from Ukraine due to the Russia-Ukraine war prompted the authorities to transfer the contract to the Steel Authority of India (SAIL) and Rashtriya Ispat Nigam (RINL). Finally, the new Vande Bhrat train ran her trial on 9th September 2022 and resumed commercial operations on 30th September 2022.
Impact of Vande Bharat Express
The inception of these trains has impacted many factors. From comfort to lesser time travel and pricing, many factors are affected due to these modern trains.
Airfare
The trains compelled Airline companies on a few routes, prompting them to drop their fares by 20-30%. These routes are Mumbai-Pune, Chennai-Bengalpure and Delhi-Jaipur.
Connectivity
Vande Bharat has improved connectivity to several significant cities in India. Due to less travel time and comparatively cheaper travel expenses, most working professionals prefer Vande Bharat to commute daily.
Technology
The Vande Bharat Train is at the centre stage for its performance and technology. All modern facilities such as Wi-Fi, GPS, LCDs for entertainment, catering services, charging points, automatic doors and vestibules, and bio-toilets are available on the train. In addition, the trains have emergency braking systems.
Transportation
There’s a significant enhancement in the travel and effectiveness of Indian Railways. It also encourages forthcoming innovations for all high-speed railway technology on a positive note. Fast transportation leads to progress, which is undoubtedly the dream of crores of Indians.
Are Vande Bharat Trains successful?
No doubt. Many passengers love these trains. The demand for these trains is on the rise, making a way to introduce these trains on more routes. Therefore, you will see more trains of this kind in the future, making train travel cleaner, easier and more convenient.
Disadvantages of Vande Bharat Express
Here are a few disadvantages as complained by some passengers:
- High ticket prices
- Limited routes
- Technical issues (rarely)
- Luggage space is not enough
- Challenges for potential maintenance
Eventually, these negative factors will soon be addressed, owing to the young age of these trains.
Concerning high ticket prices, it is justified as one has to pay for premiere services. These trains will soon cover more areas. Therefore, the limited route limit will also be gone. For luggage, passengers can pack their luggage smartly, enough to accommodate in small spaces.
Image credits:
- Harshul12345 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=129170877
- CS0207 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=145993980
- Sameer2905 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=131214427
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