The Make in India pride Vande Bharat is all set to make its southern debut between the cities of Chennai and Mysuru via Bengaluru this month. While people can enjoy the semi-high-speed train service, sources close to the project have told News18 that Vande Bharat will as of now complement the already existing Shatabdi Express and not replace it.
News18 has been given exclusive details about the specialty of the southern version of Vande Bharat. Prime Minister Narendra Modi who will be on a visit to Karnataka will flag off the train’s southern sojourn on November 11, the fifth Vande Bharat Express to run in the country.
“Vande Bharat Express is a perfect example of India’s high-speed technology prowess on wheels,” says Mysuru MP Prathap Simha to News18. The Vande Bharat Express that will be flagged off by our PM between Chennai and Mysuru is lighter and technologically superior as it is capable of reaching higher speeds in a shorter duration.”
Operated by the Indian Railways, this semi-high-speed train runs on electricity and is an advanced version of the trains that have been launched until now. Complete with air-conditioned coaches and recliner seats, it would have two segments— Executive and Economy Car. The seats in the Executive class will have 180-degree rotatable seats while the ones in the Economy class can be slid forward like in four-wheelers for easy reclining. The express train is scheduled to run on all days except Wednesday and will ply between Chennai, Bengaluru, and Mysuru with 16 coaches and has a seating capacity for 1,128 passengers.
News18 has accessed exclusive details on the pricing of the tickets for the Vande Bharat ride. The basic fare for travellers on the Vande Bharat Express between Mysuru and Chennai in the Economy Class or A/C Chair car will be Rs 921 and those travelling by the Executive Class will be charged Rs 1,880. Those who would like to avail of the service between Mysuru and Bengaluru will be charged Rs 368 in the Economy class and Rs 768 in the Executive class. It would take around 6 hours and 40 minutes to complete a distance of 504 km one way between Mysuru and Chennai.
The ticket fare on Vande Bharat is about 39% more than the Shatabdi fares and it is because Rs 40 (for A/C Chair Car) and Rs 75 (Executive Class) towards Reservation and Catering charges have been added.
As for the train specifications, normally, a train weighs between 1,400 to 1,500 tonnes, but this train weighs 850 tonnes. While most bullet trains take zero to 58 seconds to attain 100 mph speed, the Vande Bharat Express that will be launched in the south will do it in 52 seconds.
Here are the broad specifications of the train:
It will travel at a speed of 160 kmph and has attained a maximum speed of 180 kmph during the test runs. The starting acceleration is seen as 0.8m/sec2 and the peak deceleration of 1m/sec2.
Vande Bharat is a time-saver and economical compared to air travel. In 6 hours not only will you reach your destination in comfort, but it is also critical to note how much time and money is lost while travelling to the airport and beating the traffic on the road as well, explained the MP.
The 16 coaches built at the cost of Rs 97 crore will have continuous windows on the side walls and the gangways are fully sealed with external fairings. India’s indigenously developed Train Collision Avoidance System called Kavach is installed in the Vande Bharat Express.
Simha also confirmed that the Vande Bharat Express will carry train number 20607 from Chennai (MAS) to Mysuru (MYS) and 20608 on its return trip. When the train originates from Chennai, it will start its journey at 5.50 am, pass through Jolarpettai Junction (JTJ) at around 8.30 am and reach Bengaluru by 10.25 am for a five-minute halt to complete its journey to Mysuru by 12.30 pm, the same day.
So what makes the Vande Bharat Express different from the other trains like Shatabdi that are already plying on this route? The comfort of travelling in a far more comfortable, better-built and speedy train adds to the factor that it is completely designed, built, and executed in India. The speed of these trains can go up to 100km/hr in just 52 seconds which makes them much faster while providing comfortable travel, say sources.
When asked about the clash with the Shatabdi train that also plies on the same route, on the same days, but the timings are ten minutes later, Simha said that “as of now there are no plans to stop Shatabdi’s service”.
The trial run for this route has been scheduled for November 5 and the built compartments have already begun leaving the integrated coach factory for trial and execution, News18 has learnt.
PM Modi has to date flagged off four Vande Bharat trains: New Delhi to Varanasi, New Delhi to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra (J&K), Gandhinagar to Mumbai, and the most recent being the one between New Delhi and Amb Andaura in Himachal Pradesh. During his visit to Bengaluru, he will also inaugurate the second terminal of the Kempegowda International Airport, built at Rs 5,000 crore with the capacity to handle an additional 2.5 crore air passengers.
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