New Delhi: With Vande Bharat Express (Train 18) commencing its commercial run on Sunday, Railways have firmed up plans to operate 100 more such trains in different routes across the country.
Under the Make In India initiative, tenders for 30 out of 100 Train 18s are already out, Railways Minister Piyush Goyal told reporters accompanying him during the maiden journey from New Delhi to Varanasi.
Vande Bharat express, India’s fastest, is set to replace the existing Shatabdi express rakes. It comes laced with advanced features including sliding doors. It can cloak a speed of 180 kmph though Railways. However, it will run at a curtailed speed of 130 kmph as Railways do not permit trains running in excess of that in its network due to multiple factors.
Railways Minister Piyush Goyal tweeted that all tickets have been sold for the next two weeks.
Vande Bharat Express left Delhi for Varanasi today morning on its first commercial run. Tickets sold out for the next two weeks already. Get yours today! pic.twitter.com/LwokUNHRJj
— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) February 17, 2019
The train’s top speed is limited to 130 kmph in this route and averages 95 kmph. The ‘engine-less’ train has swanky features such as automatic doors with automatic footsteps, realtime audio visual announcements, bio-vacuum toilets, on-board WiFi, and catering from premium brands. The executive class has 360-degree rotating chairs. A ticket from New Delhi to Varanasi on AC chair car costs Rs 1700 and Rs 3260 on the executive class.
The Railways is reportedly strengthening its track infrastructure to support the 180 kmph that this train can achieve.
