Prime Minister Narendra Modi has flagged off the 20833/20834 Secunderabad – Visakhapatnam Vande Bharat Express train today via video conferencing from New Delhi. This is also going to be the first blue and white colour train connecting two Telugu speaking states – Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said that Vande Bharat express will greatly benefit both pilgrims and tourists. The Prime Minister also underlined the speed of work that is taking place with regard to Vande Bharat trains.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Tourism and Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy, Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan were present at the Secunderabad railway station during the inauguration ceremony.
Inaugural run
The train will carry school children in its inaugural run today.
Meanwhile, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has reached Telangana on Saturday night and visited Secunderabad railway station to take stock ahead of the inauguration ceremony.
The Railway Minister also purchased millets at ‘One Station One Product’ outlet at the railway station.
Also Read: Secunderabad-Visakhapatnam Vande Bharat Express: Check time table, distance and features
This is going to be the country’s 8th semi-high speed train and second train in South India. The train is equipped with state-of-art passenger amenities. The train will reduce the travel time to cover a distance of 699 kms from average 12 hours to 8 hours and 30 minutes. The train is capable of reaching peak speed of 160 kmph.
During the journey between Secunderabad and Visakhapatnam, the train will have regular stops at Rajahmundry, Vijayawada Junction, Khammam, and Warangal. The train will operate six days in a week except Sunday.
The Vande Bharat train consists of 14 AC Chair Car coaches and two Executive AC Chair Car coaches with a seating capacity of 1,128 passengers. The ticket booking process has already started. One needs to visit the Passenger Reservation System (PRS) or through the Internet.
The train has a world-class features like better ride-comfort, ergonomic reclining and Divyangjan friendly seats, Kavach enabled safety, automatic doors with retractable footsteps. The train also have 360 degrees rotational seats and infortainment system.
Other Vande Bharat trains in India
Presently, there are seven Vande Bharat trains operating in the country – New Delhi – Shri Vaishno Devi Mata Katra, New Delhi – Varanasi, Gandhinagar Capital – Ahmedabad – Mumbai Central, Amb Andaura – New Delhi, Mysuru – Puratchi Thalaivar Dr MGR Chennai Central, Nagpur – Bilaspur, Howrah – New Jalpaiguri.