In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said that semi-high speed Vande Bharat trains have been introduced by the Indian Railways without replacing the existing ones.
He wrote this in response to queries raised by AIADMK MP C. Ve. Shanmugam who had asked if the semi-high speed trains will replace all Super Fast Trains like Rajdhani and others.
“As on July 29, 2024, 102 Vande Bharat train services are running across the Indian Railways, connecting states having Broad Gauge (B.G.) electrified network. These Chair Car variants are presently being operated up to a distance of 760 km,” he said.
“The new Vande Bharat services were introduced without replacement of existing services,” he added.
How many new train services were introduced in last five years?
Vaishnaw also informed the Rajya Sabha that, over the past five years, approximately 772 new train services, including 100 Vande Bharat services, have been introduced in India’s railway network.
He was responding to BJP MP Neeraj Shekhar’s question about the number of new trains planned for 2024-25. Shekhar also requested details on new trains such as Vande Bharat, Rajdhani, and others launched in the last five years, including their launch years and operational zones.
(WIth PTI inputs)