Vande Bharat Express

The Vande Bharat Express, formerly known as Train 18,[1] is a semi-high-speed, electric multiple-unit train operated by Indian Railways. It was designed and manufactured by the government-owned Integral Coach Factory (ICF), located in Chennai.

Vande Bharat Express
Overview
Service typeLow-cost Semi-Highspeed Rail(LC-SHR)
StatusActive
LocaleIndia
PredecessorShatabdi Express, MEMU
First service15 February 2019 (2019-02-15)
Current operator(s)Indian Railways
Websiteindianrail.gov.in
Route
Line(s) used10
On-board services
Class(es)CC Chair (Economy Class)
Executive Chair (Premium Class)
Seating arrangements
  • Airline style
  • Rotatable seats
Catering facilitiesOn-board catering
Observation facilitiesLarge windows in all carriages
Entertainment facilities
Baggage facilitiesOverhead racks
Other facilities
Technical
Rolling stock
  • Vande Bharat
  • Vande Bharat 2
Track gaugeIndian gauge
1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge
Electrification25 kV 50 Hz AC Overhead line
Operating speed
  • 130 km/h (81 mph)
  • 160 km/h (99 mph) (Certified for commercial run)
  • 180 km/h (110 mph) (Tested speed)
  • 200 km/h (120 mph) (potential speed)
Average length384 metres (1,260 ft) (16 coaches)
Track owner(s)Indian Railways

On 27 January 2019, Train 18 was renamed to Vande Bharat Express to honor the fact that the train was manufactured entirely in India for covering distances of 500kms to 750kms.[2] It was made with low-cost maintenance and cost optimization in mind. It began operations on 15 February 2019.[3] Although the cost of a single rolling stock is about Rs 115 crore (USD 14 million), it can be reduced if mass production begins.[4]

History

Background

The Vande Bharat Express is built on MEMU local train-based EMU technology that was developed in the mid-1950s. MEMU has been manufactured by Integral Coach Factory for the last 25 years.[5]

The Indian Railways was considering to launch a new variety of MEMU trains, similar to Train-18, for inter-city transportation.[6]

In June 2015, Indian Railways issued a bid for train manufacturing, but no bids met the necessary criteria, leading to the decision to manufacture trains independently in India.

In 2016, after the introduction of the Gatimaan Express, the Indian Railways achieved 99 mph (159 km/h) speed.

Two new trains were announced to be manufactured at ICF and were named "Train-2018" since the manufacturing of these was targeted completed in year 2018.[7][8]

Manufacturing first set

The manufacturing of "Train-2018" was completed in October 2018. During the test runs, the train achieved an operational speed of 180 km/h.[9]

According to speed certificates for LHB coach trains on the RDSO website,[10] India ran its first test run at this speed with an LHB coach train in 2000. However, the Vande Bharat Express is faster.[9]

Speed and Acceleration

Vande Bharat Express has a maximum commercial speed of 160 km/h.[11][12] It exceeded 180 km/h during testing,[13][14] but its tracks are not capable of supporting such high speeds; thus the train is operated at a maximum speed of 130 km/h (81 mph) and Chennai – Mysuru is even slower which will be increased (view the train service table below).[15] In this context, it can be said that the Gatimaan Express is the fastest train in India as per its maximum permissible speed of 160 km/h (99 mph) during the Tughlakabad to Agra part of its route;[16] and that the Habibganj–New Delhi Shatabdi Express is the second fastest train in India as per its maximum permissible speed of 150 in Tughlakabad to Agra Cant part of its route.

Acceleration and decelaration of Vande Bharat Express are famous. It has the highest acceleration on Indian rail network. Its acceleration is comparable with bullet trains as its second version has achieved 0 kmph to 100 kmph speed in just 52 seconds during trial.[17] As per two Facebook posts on a page with verified tags to inform that the page belongs to Western Railway on 30 September 2022: The first and second versions achieve 0–100 mph (0–160 Kmph) in 145 sec and 129 secs respectively. The second version achieves 0–100 Kmph in just 52 seconds. The Designated Residual Acceleration of the first version is 0.05 m/s2, and of the second version is 0.11 m/s2.

Train shall be capable of accelerating to a speed of 160 kmph from 0 kmph in a maximum of 140 seconds on level track. For the purpose of this clause, minimum train length of 16 Car rake shall be considered. (It may be an overview but different time for two versionsare already mentioned with source.: 145 sec of 1st and 129 sec of 2nd version)

Train shall be designed to operate at a maximum service speed of 160 kmph. Train shall be designed so that train can operate safely at a maximum speed of 180 kmph during testing.

Train shall achieve a uniform full service braking across the whole speed range from 0 to 160 kmph. The full service brake shall not achieve deceleration of greater than 1.0 m/s2 at any speed. (It may be an overview and two versions may be different)

Train shall be capable of achieving a minimum an average acceleration of 0.7 m/s2 for speed up to 40 km/h, subject to the requirements with respect to jerk rate specified in Specification and Standards. (It may be an overview and two versions may be different)

Train shall achieve a minimum deceleration of 0.8 m/s2 during full service braking following the jerk limit as specified. (It may be an overview and two versions may be different)

Train shall be capable of achieving a minimum residual acceleration of 0.1 m/s 2 at 160 km/h (as per other source, it is already mentioned more specifically which is 0.11 m/s 2). [18]

Trial runs

On 29 October 2018, the first trial took place in Chennai to test the brakes and air conditioning controls and get the crew used to how the control systems work.[19][20][21] An official from Indian Railways said that during the low-speed run in Chennai, "some fuses went off," but the problem was small and easy to fix.[22] The second round of testing was scheduled in Delhi on 7 November 2018 and the final trails were to be held between Kota and Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan.[23] The train was then pulled by a locomotive that left on 11 November for Delhi and arrived on 13 November.[22]

On 17 November 2018, testing was scheduled to begin along a stretch of track between Bareilly and Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh. Due to a problem on this part of the track, the location was moved to the part of the track between Moradabad and Rampur.[24][25] Moradabad–Rampur testing occurred at low speeds ranging from 30–60 km/h (19–37 mph).[26] The train was then moved to a section of track between Kota and Sawai Madhopur to be tested at operating speed.[25] A team of six officials was put together by India's Research Design and Standards Organization (RDSO), which will supervise the testing and give the go-ahead for the final speed test.[21]

The train attained a speed of 180 km/h during its trials.[13][14] It is capable of a speed of up to 200 km/h (120 mph).[14] It has a top commercial speed of 160 kilometers per hour and an average speed of 95 kilometers per hour.[11][12] The train is operated at a maximum speed of 130 km/h (81 mph) because the tracks are not capable of supporting such high speeds.[15][27]

The train acceleration is comparable to that of bullet trains.[17] Vande Bharat 2.0 attained 0–100 km/h in just 52 seconds, whereas the Japanese bullet train takes 55 seconds to reach 100 km/h. The designated residual acceleration of the first version is 0.05 m/s2, and that of the second version is 0.11 m/s2.[28][29]

Inauguration
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the first Vande Bharat Express between Delhi and Varanasi at New Delhi railway station on 15 February 2019.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the first 2nd generation Vande Bharat Express between Gandhinagar and Mumbai at Gandhinagar Capital railway station on 30 September 2022.

"Train 18" was inaugurated on 15 February 2019 after four years of planning, manufacturing, and testing.[30] It was soon renamed "Vande Bharat Express" by the railway minister.[1] Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the inaugural run on 15 February 2019,[3] with the commercial run starting on 17 February 2019. It runs on the Delhi–Varanasi route,[31] via Kanpur and Prayagraj, connecting Varanasi to the capital city and reducing travel time along the route by 15%.[32] The train's regenerative brakes are also expected to allow a 30% savings in electricity costs as compared to its predecessor.[33]

The 8-hour journey from New Delhi to Varanasi station has a chair car CC Class fare of ₹1,440.00 and covers a total distance of about 762 kilometers.

2019–present

On 14 December 2019, after the success of the New Delhi–Varanasi route and the later New Delhi–Katra route, the Railway Board approved the production of 45 new Vande Bharat train sets by 2022.[34][35]

Production was slowed down because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which cut annual production capacity by 12.5%, and because of other administrative problems.[36] Despite this, the Union minister decided to move ahead with the schedule and asked the officials to build 10 trains by August 2022.[37][38]

In January 2021, Indian Railways placed orders for 44 second generation Vande Bharat train sets.[39]

In the Union Budget for 2022, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that the government would manufacture 400 more Vande Bharat trains over the next three years.[40]

The Indian Railways had ordered 36,000 wheels for Vande Bharat trainsets from Ukraine at a cost of US$16 million.[41] Supplies were disrupted due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Indian Railways also placed orders with companies based in the Czech Republic, Poland, Malaysia, China, and the United States to ensure an undisrupted supply of wheels.[42][43]

In May 2022, the Indian Railways hired the Steel Authority of India (SAIL) to produce 100,000 wheels at its Durgapur steel plant.[43][44]

In September 2022, the Indian Railways asked for bids to build a factory in India that could make 80,000 wheels for high-speed trains each year.[45][46]

Train versions
Vande Bharat 1.0 Chair Car (CC) seating

Vande Bharat 1.0 (VB1)

As part of the "Make in India" initiative, the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), under the direction of Sudhanshu Mani, created and produced the Vande Bharat.[47][48] It was originally called "Train 18". On 26 January 2019, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal announced that the train would be named the Vande Bharat Express.[49]

The outside of the Vande Bharat Express has an aerodynamic design that is meant to reduce air resistance at high speeds.[50] It has a driver's cabin at each end, so it can move more quickly between stations.[19] The trainset weighs 430 tonnes, and has 16 passenger cars with a seating capacity of 1,128 passengers.[51] Two of the centre compartments are first class compartments that seat 52 each, with the rest being coach compartments seating 78 each.[31] The chassis of a coach is 23 meters long, and the frame of the train is made entirely of stainless steel.[52] Alternate coaches are motorized to ensure an even distribution of power and quicker acceleration and deceleration. The cars are interconnected and fully sealed to allow better mobility between coaches and reduce noise. The train features a GPS-based passenger information system, bio-vacuum toilets, and rotational seats which can be aligned in the direction of travel (only in executive class).[53] Vande Bharat employs a regenerative braking system.[54]

The Vande Bharat can reach a maximum speed of 180  km/h. It can accelerate to a speed of 100  km/h in 54.6 seconds and reach its maximum speed in 145 seconds. Trains are equipped with 24-inch television screens that serve as the passenger information and entertainment system. The train's underframe electrical equipment can withstand floods up to 40 centimetres.[55][56]

The assembly of the train takes 8 weeks.[52] About 80–85% of the components that go into the making of Vande Bharat are indigenously sourced. Among the imported components are the wheels, seats, doors, braking system, transformers, and electronic parts such as processing chips,[52][57] with plans to produce them domestically.[23] The train's seats were imported from Spain,[57] and the wheels were imported from Ukraine.[58]

Indian Railways and ICF were also planning the development of Train 20, an upgraded version of Train 18, intended to replace the Rajdhani Express. The new train was planned to have an aluminium body with sleeper coaches.[59]

Vande Bharat 2.0 (VB2)
Vande Bharat 2.0 Chair Car (CC) seating

The VB2 trains can accelerate to a speed of 100 km/h[60] in 52 seconds, compared to the 54.6 seconds taken to reach the same speed by the older version. The train can reach a speed of 160 km/h in 140 seconds, 5 seconds faster than the first generation of the Vande Bharat. VB2 is also lighter, weighing 392 tonnes compared to 430 tonnes for the previous version. Trains are equipped with larger 32-inch television screens and have Wi-Fi onboard. The air conditioning system on the VB2 utilises 15% less energy than the system on the first Vande Bharat train set. VB2 also has automatic plug doors, sliding doors that don't need to be touched, emergency communication units, accessible toilets, a bigger driver's cabin, and seats in all coaches that can be leaned back.[55][56] To address the seat reclining issues of the previous version, the new chairs were equipped with a push-back arrangement for smooth reclining.[61][62]

The VB2 is additionally equipped for safety and protection with Kavach signaling technology, which is similar to ETCS Level 2.[63] The second version of this train offers enhanced amenities, seats, security, and surveillance systems, as well as features suited for emergency situations. The new rolling stock will be outfitted with new rakes that feature four emergency windows, disaster lights in all coaches in the event of lighting system failure, fire survival cables within door circuits, ventilation for three hours in the event that the air conditioner loses power, and four additional emergency push buttons per coach.[61][62] The new coaches are also set to be equipped with a centralised Coach Monitoring System for all types of electricity and climate control, among other new additions. An official added that the new coaches will be provided with a bacteria-free air conditioning system and higher flood protection for electrical equipment to ensure reliability during monsoons up to 65 centimetres.[61][62]

On 9 September 2022 the trial runs for the VB2 train were completed.[55] The first VB2 rake entered service on 30 September 2022.[64] Indian Railways has ordered 102 VB2 train sets in total. As of October 2022, four VB2 train sets have been built, and about half a dozen are under production at ICF. Sudhanshu Mani said, "Now that ICF has already developed four such trains and gotten the hang of the process, they can easily roll out three to four trains per month and around 40 by 15 August next year."[52]

Vande Bharat 3.0 (VB3) (Train 20)

The Vande Bharat 3 trainset will introduce sleeper coaches for the first time. It will have three classes: AC-1, AC-2, and AC-3. The VB3 is expected to have a maximum speed of 180 to 200 km/h and a design life of 35 years.[65]

The VB3 is expected to be lighter and more energy efficient than the VB2, as well as have better passenger amenities.[66]

Half of the VB3 train sets have coaches made of steel, while the other half have coaches made of aluminium with articulated bogies.[67]

Vande Bharat 4.0 (VB4)

The fourth generation Vande Bharat (VB4) trains will have a maximum speed of more than 200 km/h.[68] VB4 coaches will be made of a lightweight aluminium alloy. The VB4 is expected to feature improved passenger amenities such as a 3-pin socket and USB power socket for every passenger, zero discharge toilet systems, and facilities to accommodate passengers travelling in wheelchairs. The VB4 will also have a cattle guard that can absorb collisions with animals up to 600 kg in weight and keep animals from being dragged under the train in the event of a collision.[69]

At least half of all VB4 train sets are expected to be tilting trains, marking the first commercial deployment of the technology in India.[70] The first VB4 rake is expected to enter service in 2026.[71]

Production

As part of the Make in India initiative, Sudhanshu Mani led the team at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) that designed and made the Vande Bharat.[47] The unit cost of the first train was estimated at ₹100 crore (equivalent to ₹114 crore or US$14 million in 2020).[72] A total of two first-generation Vande Bharat trainsets were built by the ICF.[73]

Indian Railways first floated a tender to manufacture 44 VB2 rakes in July 2020. The agency refloated the tender three times, with the fourth (and final) tender being floated in September 2020. The tender was floated under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative and required 75% of the components to be locally sourced.[74] Indian Railways received three bids for the tender and awarded a ₹2,211 crore (equivalent to ₹25 billion or US$310 million in 2020) contract to Hyderabad-based Medha Servo Drives to manufacture 44 Vande Bharat train sets on 21 January 2021. Medha will build the rakes at ICF (24 rakes), Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala and Modern Coach Factory, Raebareli (10 rakes each).[75]

Indian Railways floated a tender to manufacture an additional 58 VB2 rakes on 28 August 2021.[76][77] In March 2022, Indian Railways awarded contracts to seven companies to supply equipment and manufacture the 58 train sets at a total cost of ₹18.5 billion (equivalent to ₹21 billion or US$260 million in 2020). The seven companies are Medha Servo Drives, Alstom, Siemens, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), Titagarh Wagons, Saini Electricals and CGL.[78] The ICF will supervise the manufacture of 26 of the 58 rakes. Medho Servo Drives will build propulsion systems under ICF oversight. Siemens will supply propulsion systems to manufacture 16 rakes at the Modern Coach Factory, and Alstom will supply propulsion systems for 9 trains to be built at the Rail Coach Factory. BHEL will supply components for 4 trainsets, while CGL, Saini Electricals, and Titagarh Wagons will build one rake each. All 7 of these rakes will also be built at the ICF.[78]

Indian Railways invited bids to design and manufacture 200 VB3 trainsets in April 2022. The agency estimated that it would cost ₹26,000 crore (equivalent to ₹300 billion or US$3.7 billion in 2020) [65] The estimate includes the cost of upgrading infrastructure at either the Marathwada Rail Coach Factory in Latur or the ICF where the VB3 is planned to be manufactured.[79] A further ₹32,000 (equivalent to ₹36,000 or US$460 in 2020) will be paid to the winning bidders over a 35 year period for maintenance. The bidders would be required to build the first prototype VB3 trainset within 24 months of being awarded the contract.[80]

Indian Railways floated tenders to manufacture and maintain 200 VB4 trainsets in July 2022. The production to be soon commenced at MCF, Rae Baraeli and later at the Rail Coach Naveenikaran Karkhana (RCNK), Sonipat and Marathwada Rail Coach Factory(MRCF), Latur.[81]

Services

In Service

The following table provides the list of trains in service as of January 2023[82][83]

No. Originating station Terminal station Train Name Train No. Version Frequency Distance Travel Time Speed (km/h) Inauguration Halts
Maximum permitted Average
1 New Delhi Varanasi Junction New Delhi - Varanasi Vande Bharat Express 22435/22436 VB1 Except Monday and Thursday 759 km (472 mi) 8h 0m 130 km/h (81 mph)[84] 95 km/h (59 mph)[85] 15 February 2019 Kanpur Central
Prayagraj Junction
2 New Delhi Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra New Delhi - Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Vande Bharat Express 22439/22440 Except Tuesday 655 km (407 mi) 8h 0m 130 km/h (81 mph)[84] 82 km/h (51 mph)[85] 3 October 2019 Ambala Cantt Jn
Ludhiana Junction
Jammu Tawi
3 Mumbai Central Gandhinagar Capital Mumbai Central - Gandhinagar Capital Vande Bharat Express 20901/20902 VB2 Except Sunday 522 km (324 mi) 6h 25m 130 km/h (81 mph)[84] 82 km/h (51 mph)[86] 30 September 2022 Borivali
Vapi
Surat
Vadodara Junction
Ahmedabad Junction
4 New Delhi Amb Andaura New Delhi - Amb Andaura Vande Bharat Express 22447/22448 Except Friday 412 km (256 mi) 5h 15m 130 km/h (81 mph)[84] 77 km/h (48 mph)[85] 13 October 2022 Ambala Cantt Jn
Chandigarh Junction
Anandpur Sahib
Una Himachal
5 MGR Chennai Central Mysuru Junction MGR Chennai Central - Mysuru Vande Bharat Express 20607/20608 Except Wednesday 496 km (308 mi) 6h 30m 110 km/h (68 mph)[87] 76 km/h (47 mph)[85] 11 November 2022 Katpadi Junction
KSR Bengaluru
6 Bilaspur Junction Nagpur Junction Bilaspur - Nagpur Vande Bharat Express 20825/20826 Except Saturday 412 km (256 mi) 5h 30m 130 km/h (81 mph) 75 km/h (47 mph) 11 December 2022[88] Raipur Junction
Durg Junction
Rajnandgaon
Gondia Junction
7 Howrah Junction New Jalpaiguri Junction Howrah - New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express 22301/22302 Except Wednesday 561 km (349 mi) 7h 30m 130 km/h (81 mph) 75 km/h (47 mph) 30 December 2022 Bolpur Shantiniketan
Malda Town
Barsoi Junction
8 Visakhapatnam Junction Secunderabad Junction Visakhapatnam - Secunderabad Vande Bharat Express 20833/20834 Except Sunday 698 km (434 mi) 8h 30m 130 km/h (81 mph) 82 km/h (51 mph) 15 January 2023 Rajamundry
Vijayawada Junction
Khammam
Warangal
9 Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus Solapur Mumbai CSMT- Solapur Vande Bharat Express 22225/22226 Except Wednesday
(22225) Except Thursday
(22226)		 452 km (281 mi) 6h 30m 110 km/h (68 mph) 70 km/h (43 mph) 10 February 2023 Dadar Central
Kalyan Jn
Pune Jn
Kurduwadi Jn
10[89] Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus Sainagar Shirdi Mumbai CSMT - Sainagar Shirdi Vande Bharat Express 22223/22224 Except Tuesday 339 km (211 mi) 5h 20m 110 km/h (68 mph) 64 km/h (40 mph) 10 February 2023 Dadar Central
Thane
Nashik Road

Seater
  1. New Delhi – Amritsar by replacing one of the Shatabdi Express[90][91][92][93]
  2. New Delhi – Lucknow by replacing Shatabdi Express[90][91][92]
  3. New Delhi – Rani Kamalapati by replacing Shatabdi Express[90][91][92]
  4. New Delhi – Chandigarh by replacing Shatabdi Express[90][91][92]
  5. Howrah – Ranchi by replacing Shatabdi Express[94]
  6. Howrah - Rourkela via Kharagpur, Tatanagar, Chakradharpur[95]
  7. Howrah – Puri by replacing Shatabdi Express[90][91][92]
  8. Howrah – Varanasi[96]
  9. Howrah – Bhubaneswar[97]
  10. Howrah/Kolkata – Patna[98][97]
  11. Delhi – Jaipur,[99]
  12. Hyderabad – Nagpur[100]
  13. Kacheguda – Bangalore [98][101]
  14. Secunderabad – Tirupati[102][103]
  15. Secunderabad – Pune[101][104]
  16. KSR Bengaluru – Dharwad via Hubballi[105][106][107][108]
  17. Chennai Central – Coimbatore or Chennai Egmore – Madurai[109][110]
  18. Thiruvananthapuram – Kannur/Mangalore[111]
  19. Coimbatore – SMVT Bengaluru[112]
  20. Indore – Jabalpur[113]
  21. Indore – Jaipur[114]

Some of them may replace Shatabdi Express trains

Seating or sleeper not known
  1. New Delhi – Patna [115]
  2. Thiruvananthapuram – Bengaluru [111]
  3. Ernakulam – Chennai[116]

Sleeper
  1. New Delhi – Mumbai [115]
  2. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus – Firozpur Cantonment[117]
  3. Varanasi – Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus[115]
  4. New Delhi – Howrah

Coach Position
Rake Formation of 1st Generation Vande Bharat Express (VB 1.0)
Coach Sr.No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Travel Class CC EC CC
Power Configuration DTC MC TC MC2 NDTC MC TC MC2 NDTC MC TC MC2 MC3 TC MC DTC
Basic Power Units Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 Unit 4
Seating Capacity 44 78 78 78 78 78 78 52 52 78 78 78 78 78 78 44
Rake Formation of 2nd Generation Vande Bharat Express (VB 2.0)
Coach Sr.No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Travel Class CC EC CC
Power Configuration DTC MC TC MC2 MC TC MC2 NDTC NDTC MC2 TC MC MC2 TC MC DTC
Basic Power Units Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 Unit 4
Seating Capacity 44 78 78 78 78 78 78 52 52 78 78 78 78 78 78 44

Abbreviations:

  • DTC - Driving Trailer Coach
  • NDTC - Non-Driving Trailer Coach
  • MC - Motor Coach
  • MC2 - Motor Coach with electrical change-over switch
  • MC3 - 180° rotated MC2
  • TC - Trailer Coach having Pantograph
  • EC - Executive Chair Car (2x2 seats)
  • CC - Economy Chair Car (3x2 seats)

Export

After the train's inauguration, the Indian Railways reportedly received queries of interest from some countries in Southeast Asia and South America.[118] A Board Member of the Indian Railways stated that the train can be modified according to customer needs.[119][120] A Railways official stated in November 2022 that the Ministry of Railways was preparing a roadmap to begin exports of Vande Bharat trainsets by 2026. Exports would only begin after 475 trainsets are built for domestic use.[121]

The Indian Railways is constructing a 59 km standard gauge test track between Gudha and Thathana Mithri in the Jodhpur Division to conduct trials runs at speeds of up to 220 km/h. The track is expected to be completed by January 2024.[122] The Railways will use the track to test trainsets that are designed to be exported to countries that use standard gauge railways.[123]

Accidents

In February 2019, the newly launched Vande Bharat Express hit a stray bull near Etawah in Uttar Pradesh on its second day of service. The aerodynamic nose of the train which was made of steel with a fibre covering was damaged.[124][125] A similar cattle run-over was reported on 17 August 2019.[126]

In another incident, the front portion of a Vande Bharat Superfast Express was damaged after it collided with a herd of buffaloes in Gujarat on 6 October 2022 days after the semi-high speed train was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.[127] The train was on its way from Mumbai to Gandhinagar and the incident occurred around at 11:00 am between Vatva and Maninagar station, ahead of Ahmedabad.[128]

See also

References
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  12. Jain, Smriti (27 April 2022). "200 sleeper Vande Bharat trains to run on Indian Railways tracks; tender floated". The Times of India. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
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