Fourth Vande Bharat Express inaugurated: Its route, features

After the inauguration, Modi announced various projects in poll-bound Himachal Pradesh and said he was happy to announce “gifts worth several thousand crores” before the approaching festive season.

Himachal Pradesh CM Jairam Thakur, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, and Union Minister Anurag Thakur were also present during the inauguration.

The route

India’s fourth Vande Bharat train is said to be lighter and capable of reaching higher speeds in a shorter duration of time. The travel time from Una to New Delhi will reportedly be reduced by two hours.

Running between Amb Andaura to New Delhi, it will be operational six days a week, except on Wednesdays, with stops at Ambala, Chandigarh, Anandpur Sahib, and Una. Providing a comfortable and faster mode of travel, the train is expected to help promote tourism in the region.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar travelled from Chandigarh to Ambala in the Vande Bharat Express on Thursday. He said the train will benefit people of Punjab and Haryana who travel to work.

Vande Bharat 2.0

The new Vande Bharat trains – this one and the Gandhinagar-Mumbai train — have been dubbed ‘Vande Bharat 2.0’ because of certain upgrades they have received over their predecessors, the trains running from Delhi to Varanasi and Katra.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had earlier said that like popular smartphones, the Vande Bharat will come with upgrades and a new “version” with each series production, even though the name will remain the same.

The new trainsets cost around Rs 115 crore — Rs 15 crore more than the previous version. The specifications underwent an overhaul taking into account feedback on the trains running for the past three years.

What are the major upgrades?

Equipped with more advancements, Vande Bharat 2.0 trains can reach a speed of 0 to 100 kilometres per hour in just 52 seconds, with a top speed of up to 180 kilometres an hour. The trains weigh around 392 tonnes, 38 tonnes lighter than the previous versions.

It also has a better riding index (lower the better) of 3.26 at 180 km per hour, from the earlier 3.87. At a standard speed of 115 km per, its riding index is 3.26, better than the 3.62 attained at the same speed by the earlier version. Riding index is a global benchmark for rolling stock. In layman’s terms, how comfortable and steady the passenger is while the train is in motion is roughly the idea behind a riding index

Safety features

Vande Bharat 2.0 trains come fitted with the Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) called KAVACH, which the previous trains did not have. Coaches are equipped with disaster lights with a battery backup of three hours.

The train’s exterior has eight flatform-side cameras, up from four. There is also a passenger-guard communication facility in coaches, which comes with an automatic voice recording feature.

The new train set is higher, making it safe from floods up to 650 mm, up from 400 mm.

The passenger experience

A side recliner seat facility will be made available to all passengers, as opposed to fixed back-seats in the lower class. Executive Coaches have the added feature of 180-degree rotating seats.

Internal air will be filtered via a photo-catalytic ultraviolet air purification system, which the Railway claims will deactivate 99 per cent of germs.

The coaches also have a centralised coach monitoring system through CCTV cameras, and the internal network supports data at 1 gigabyte per second, which means better quality streaming of audio-visual information.

It also has a wifi-enabled onboard infotainment system and the LCD display in each coach is now 32 inches, up from the 24-inch screen.