Third set of Vande Bharat Express rolled out from ICF

The third Vande Bharat Express, the country’s fastest train which runs at a speed of 160 km per hour, was rolled out from the Integral Coach Factory here in the presence of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

Vaishnaw inspected the latest Vande Bharat Express rake that is getting commissioned and also inspected the interiors of the coaches including the driver cab. The country currently has two Vande Bharat Express running from New Delhi to Varanasi Junction and Katra.

The first Vande Bharat Express was launched on February 15 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, months after the ICF rolled out the Made in India coaches. Also known as Train 18, which has a self-propelled engine like the vintage EMUs, has been designed in such a way to save diesel by dispensing with the power cars and about reduce electricity usage by 30%, thanks to the advanced regenerative braking system.

However, the manufacturing of such trains hit a roadblock for some time. The third train, which was rolled out on Friday, will be sent for testing of about 15,000 km following which it will be inducted into the Indian Railways. The train will be tested at 180 km per hour.

“As per the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, 75 Vande Express trains will link all parts of the country. All tests such as static, dynamic, oscillation, etc., will be carried out and ICF will be manufacturing more such trains,” Vaishnaw said.

The first Train 18 was is designed to accommodate a total of 1,128 passengers -- 78 in the normal coach and 52 in the Executive coach – will boast of passenger amenities such as onboard Wi-Fi infotainment, GPS Based Passenger Information System, plush interiors, bio-vacuum toilets, diffused LED lighting and charging points beneath every seat.

Sudhanshu Mani, the man behind the Train 18, told DH that after a wait of nearly four years, happiness and excitement at ICF as the third rake of Train 18/Vande Bharat express has been made ready.

“I hope some areas, like seating in Economy Class and finish of the interiors have been improved because that was need, other features like faster acceleration, emergency windows and better ride, to my mind, are mainly decorative,” Mani, former General Manager of ICF, said.

He also expressed the hope that the rake, and the ones to follow, shall be deployed on routes where its inherent USP of fast acceleration can be exploited to reduce travel time. “Another issue which needs attention is for ICF to start work on Sleeper version Train 18 which was started in 2018 but later abandoned,” he added.