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Vande Bharat
Years of hard work and dedication, and some engineering marvels later, the dream of Kashmir's rail connectivity finally came true as a specially-designed Vande Bharat Express train arrived here on Saturday, completing its trial run. The train, on its maiden trial run, arrived at the Srinagar station in the Nowgam area on the city outskirts from Katra in Jammu. It had reached Jammu on Friday. As the Vande Bharat Express reached the station at 11:30 am, it was welcomed with slogans and praises for the Indian Railways. A large number of people and railway officials were waiting for the train since the morning, many of them carrying garlands to welcome the officials on board the train. After a brief half at the station here, the train moved to the Budgam station to complete its trial run. "The first trial run of the Vande Bharat between Katra and Kashmir was completed successfully," an official said. The train is specially designed to operate seamlessly in Jammu and Kashmir's challe
A total subsidy of Rs 56,993 crore is given every year by the Indian Railways to all categories of passengers, with a 46 per cent rebate on every ticket, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Wednesday. Replying to multiple questions in the Lok Sabha on restoring discounts given to various categories of train passengers, he said if the price of a ticket is Rs 100, then the railways charges just Rs 54 for it -- a discount of 46 per cent. "A total of Rs 56,993 crore subsidy is given every year by the Indian Railways to all classes of passengers," Vaishnaw said during the Question Hour. Replying to another question on rapid train service, he said the railways has already started such a service -- Namo Bharat Rapid Rail -- between Bhuj and Ahmedabad and the satisfaction level of passengers is extremely high due to its superior service. Officials said Namo Bharat Rapid Rail has improved intercity connectivity by covering the 359-kilometre distance between Bhuj and Ahmedabad in 5 hou
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has dismissed media reports claiming delay in starting the manufacturing process for Vande Bharat sleeper trains due to design clearance issues. During a media interaction on Thursday, Vaishnaw said that design was never an issue with the Russian firm roped in to manufacture these train sets. Earlier, a section of media quoting officials from the Russian company Transmashholding (TMH) reported that Indian Railways demanded toilets and a pantry car in the train which necessitated tweaking the trains' design. The reports further said the firm addressed Railway Ministry's concerns with a change in design and sent it to the ministry for clearance, which, however, hasn't responded with its consent. As per the contracts, the firm is supposed to manufacture 1,920 sleeper coaches. However, Vaishnaw said these reports were baseless as the real issues were with regard to the limited manufacturing capabilities of the firm because in Russia, trains have less
As many as 136 Vande Bharat train services were operational with enhanced safety features and modern passenger amenities as on November 21, the government has informed the Lok Sabha. In a written reply on Wednesday, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said these safety features and modern passenger amenities were automatic train protection system KAVACH, faster acceleration, fully-sealed gangway, automatic plug doors, better ride comfort, mini pantry with provision of hot case, bottle cooler, deep freezer and hot water boiler, among many others. The minister was responding to questions raised by nine MPs from various political parties who wanted to know the rationale behind launching the Vande Bharat Express, their occupancy, amenities, passenger feedback and services in Maharashtra as well as on the New Delhi-Kathgodam route. Vaishnaw said, "Presently, 22 Vande Bharat services, on originating or terminating basis, are catering to the needs of stations located in the state of ...
Namo Bharat train will start its operation two hours early than usual at 6 am on Sunday on the occasion of Bhai Dooj, the NCRTC said in a statement. Trains will be operated with increased frequency, it said. According to the statement, train services on the operational section of Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor will start early on Sunday, operating from 6 am instead of the usual 8 am. It will continue until 10 pm. Generally, Namo Bharat train services operate from 6 am from Monday to Saturday and 8 am on Sunday, it stated. Trains will run with increased frequency throughout the day to accommodate the anticipated higher passenger volume, ensuring a smooth and comfortable travel experience for all, the statement said.
The Railway Ministry has renamed the Bhuj-Ahmedabad Vande Metro to Namo Bharat Rapid Rail hours before its inaugural run on Monday, according to a spokesperson. The service will be flagged off from the Bhuj railway station at 4:15 pm virtually by Prime Minister Narendra Modi who will be present in Ahmedabad, he said. The Rapid Rail, which aims to enhance intercity connectivity, will cover 359 km distance from Bhuj to Ahmedabad in 5:45 hours. In between, the train will stop at nine stations. For the public, the regular service will start on September 17 from Ahmedabad. The total journey will cost Rs 455. "The ministry has decided to rename Vande Metro to Namo Bharat Rapid Rail," the Railway spokesperson said. According to the Railway Ministry, while the other metros cover only short distances, Namo Bharat trains will connect the heart of Ahmedabad with its peripheral cities. Featuring 12 coaches with seating for 1,150 passengers, the Rapid Rail offers a host of innovative features
The six new Vande Bharat trains that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off on Sunday for different locations, offer faster connectivity, safe journey and a range of passenger amenities, the Railway Ministry has said. These new trains would also bolster the rapidly growing fleet of this modern innovation from 54 train sets to 60 with 120 trips daily covering over 280 districts across 24 states and union territories, the ministry said in the statement issued on Saturday. Prime Minister Modi will travel to Jharkhand today and flag off six Vande Bharat trains at Tatanagar Junction Railway Station around 10 am, according to a release by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). "The Vande Bharat Portfolio is ever-expanding with new train services being added for enhanced connectivity," the statement read. "Indigenously designed under the 'Make in India' initiative, it offers cutting-edge features delivering luxury and efficiency to millions of passengers, it added. The six new routes tha
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the country's first 'Vande Metro' service on Monday during his two-day visit to Gujarat, an official said. The Ahmedabad-Bhuj Vande Metro is a fully unreserved air-conditioned train for which passengers can buy tickets from the counter shortly before its departure, Western Railway (Ahmedabad division) public relations officer Pradeep Sharma said on Saturday. "It will accommodate 2,058 standing and 1,150 sitting passengers. WR carried out a trial of the service early this week," he added. According to WR officials, the Ahmedabad-Bhuj Vande Metro service will stop at nine stations and cover the 360 kilometre distance in 5 hours and 45 minutes at a top speed of 110 kilometres per hour. It will depart from Bhuj at 5:05am and reach Ahmedabad Junction at 10:50am, they said. The 'Vande Metro' concept is designed on the lines of the indigenous semi-high-speed train Vande Bharat service with fully air-conditioned coaches and the 'KAVACH' ...