The Indian Railways conducted the first trial run of the Vande Bharat Express between Patna and Ranchi on Monday morning, covering Jharkhand. The trial run was scheduled for June 11 but was postponed due to a two-day state-wide bandh organized by a student group. People gathered on the platform to witness the Patna-Ranchi Vande Bharat Express make a trial run to Gaya Railway Station.
According to the Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of the East Central Railway (ECR) (Hajipur zone) Birendra Kumar, the Vande Bharat trains will start covering all the states by June. In a press conference in the national capital, Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that they have a target to connect 200 cities with the Vande Bharat train by the middle of next year. He also mentioned that the production work is going on at a fast pace.
The Vande Bharat Express is designed with state-of-the-art features like bio-vacuum toilets, 360-degree revolving chairs, and divyang-friendly washrooms and seat handles, among others. The train is equipped with the modern train collision avoidance system (TCAS), also known as Kavach and is designed to provide an experience similar to that of air travel.
The first Vande Bharat Express train was flagged off on February 15, 2019, on the New Delhi Kanpur-Allahabad-Varanasi route. The train can run up to a maximum speed of 160 kmph.
In his address to the nation on August 15, 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that during the 75 weeks of the Amrit Mahotsav of Independence, 75 Vande Bharat trains will connect every corner of the country.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced in the Union Budget 2022-23 that 400 new-generation Vande Bharat Trains would be manufactured in the next three years.
The Indian Railways is committed to providing safe, comfortable, and modern travel experiences to passengers. The Vande Bharat Express is an integral part of this endeavor, and the Railways is working tirelessly to expand its reach across the country.
