Chennai: Two more Vande Bharat semi-high speed trains are expected to come up by August this year besides the two which are already operational in the country. The trains, being manufactured by Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, are in the final stages, according to an official.
This is a part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement on Independence Day last year that 75 new Vande Bharat trains would come upon the occasion of the completion of the country’s 75 years of independence, connecting 75 big towns across the country.
The Railway Ministry prepared a plan for the accomplishment of the target and handed over the responsibility to ICF, Chennai. Interestingly, the upcoming Vande Bharat trains are being promised to be more advanced than the two already operational. According to the officials, the new trains will have automatic fire sensors, CCTV cameras and GPS systems to make traveling safer and more comfortable.
“After the announcement of PM Modi, ICF has set a target of manufacturing 75 Vande Bharat trains by August 2023. Making a progress in that direction, two trains would be ready by August 2022. The trial of those trains would be done and based on that, we will do further production,” General Manager of ICF, AK Agarwal told ANI.
Detailing on the facilities of the upcoming trains, Agarwal said that traveling in the new trains would be more comfortable because of the lighter coaches than the previous trains.
“Travelling in the new trains would be more comfortable in comparison to the two trains that are currently operational. The reason is that the coaches of the new trains will be lighter than those of older trains. These are made of stainless steel. Due to less weight, the passengers would feel extra comfortable even at high speed,” he said.
“There are automatic gates operated by the pilot. The windows are wide, there is more space for the luggage. The toilet installed will be advanced. Most of the parts of the trains are “Made in India” except for a few small parts,” Agarwal added.
The General Manager informed about the use of ‘Kavach’ technology for the extra security.
“We are also installing ‘Kavach’ technology in the trains so that automatic breaks could be applied in case any train is coming on the same track. We will complete our target on time. We have the support of the Railway Minister and Railway Board,” he said.
Asked about the delay in the delivery of wheels for the new trains, Agarwal said that it happened due to the Ukraine-Russia war as Ukraine is among the few countries manufacturing the kind of wheels needed to be imported.
“We had planned to seek
the plan of wheels from Ukraine. Ukraine is among the few countries manufacturing such wheels. We had to import from there which was delayed due to the war. However, the wheels have arrived now,” he said.
Agarwal exuded confidence in accomplishing the target of rolling out 75 new Vande Bharat trains on time.
Notably, Vande Bharat is the country’s first high-speed train. The test speed of the train is 180 kmph, while the maximum speed is 160 kmph.
The two trains which are operational are in between New Dellhi-Varanasi and New Delhi-Vaishnodevi Katra.(ANI)
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