Good news for rail commuters! Indian Railways is set to introduce nine Vande Bharat Express across the country this week. These new trains will be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 24, 2023 (Sunday) via video conferencing from New Delhi. This marks the first occasion when the national transporter is introducing an unprecedented number of trains simultaneously.
These ultra modern trains have revolutionised the rail travel experience of passengers. Presently, the Vande Bharat Express is the fastest train in the country followed by Shatabdi Express and Rajdhani Express. A total of 25 Vande Bharat Express trains are in operation on different routes till date.
List of Vande Bharat Express to be launched:-
Udaipur-Jaipur Vande Bharat Express
The Udaipur-Jaipur Vande Bharat Express will be the third semi-high speed train for Rajasthan and second new age train with high rise pantograph. The train will be operated and maintained by the North Western Railway (NWR) zone. The train will cover a distance of 430 kms in six hours. This will be the fastest train on the route followed by Kavi Guru Express and Udaipur-Jaipur Superfast Special. Both the trains cover the same distance in 06:55 hrs and 07:10 hrs respectively.
Tirunelveli-Madurai-Chennai Vande Bharat Express
The Tirunelveli-Madurai-Chennai Vande Bharat Express will begin its commercial operation next week. The train will reduce the travel time between the two cities. It is expected to cover a distance of 653 km in less than nine hours. Presently, the fastest train between the two cities is Tirukkural Express. It takes 10 hours and 35 minutes to cover the same distance.
Hyderabad–Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express
The Hyderabad–Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express will connect the two capitals in less than 10 hours. The train will prove to be beneficial for businessmen, IT professionals, Students etc.
Vijayawada–Chennai Vande Bharat Express
The Vande Bharat Express between Vijayawada and Chennai will cover a distance of more than 700 km in less than six hours. As of now, the fastest trains between the two cities are Humsafar Express and Coromandel Express. Both the trains take 06:30 hrs and 06:45 hrs respectively to cover the same distance.
Patna-Howrah Vande Bharat Express
The semi-high speed train between Patna and Howrah is going to be the second and third Vande Bharat Express for Bihar and West Bengal respectively. The train will cover a distance of 532 km in five hours and 30 minutes. It will leave Patna at 8 am and will reach its destination at 14:30 hrs. At present, the fastest train between two cities is Janshatabdi Express. It takes 07:55 hrs to cover the same distance. The train will be operated by the East Central Railway (ECR) zone.Kasaragod-Thiruvananthapuram Vande Bharat Express
Kerala’s second Vande Bharat Express will be introduced later this week. The train will connect Thiruvananthapuram with Kasaragod. The train will operate six days a week. The train will have eight coaches including AC Chair Car and Executive Chair Car.
Puri-Bhubaneswar-Rourkela Vande Bharat Express
The Puri-Rourkela-Puri Vande Bharat will be the second semi-high speed train in the state after the Puri-Howrah Vande Bharat Express. It will cover a distance of 525 km in seven hours and 45 minutes. It will depart from Puri at 05:00 hrs and will arrive at Rourkela at 12:45 hrs. In return direction, the blue and white colour train will leave Rourkela at 14:10 hrs and will reach its destination at 21:40 hrs.
Ranchi-Howrah Vande Bharat Express
The Ranchi-Howrah Vande Bharat Express will be the fourth semi-high speed train for West Bengal and first for Jharkhand. The train will be operated and maintained by the South Eastern Railway (SER) zone. It is expected to cover a distance of 426 km in less than six hours. Currently, the fastest train between two cities is Shatabdi Express. It takes 07:10 hrs time to cover the same distance.
Jamnagar-Ahmedabad Vande Bharat Express
The Jamnagar-Ahmedabad Vande Bharat Express will reduce the travel time by more than one hour. It will cover a distance of more than 330 km in less than five hours. Presently, the fastest train between the two cities is Intercity Express. It covers the same distance in 05:45 hrs.