Train 18 will now be called Vande Bharat Express, confirms Piyush Goyal

Railway Minister on Thursday confirmed that India’s first engine-less train, Train 18 will now be renamed as Vande Bharat Express.

Manufactured at ICF (Integral Coach Factory) in Chennai,Vande Bharat Express has 16 chair-car type coaches — executive and non-executive. There are two executive chair cars and 14 non-executive chair cars. The maximum seating capacity of executive chair cars is 56 passengers, while those of non-executive is 78.

It also offers onboard WiFi and infotainment for passengers. There is also GPS-based passenger information system. Charging points for the gadgets are right below the seats.

Vande Bharat Express boasts of automatic doors with the facility of a sliding footstep that will open when once the train arrives at the platform.

It also has  has automatic interconnecting doors and the connecting areas are spacious for easy movement. There is halogen-free rubber-on-rubber flooring, concealed roller blinds for improved aesthetics and better view from the window and continuous energy-efficient LED lighting. Train 18 boasts of zero discharge bio-vaccum toilets and touch-free bathroom fittings.

Meanwhile, according to an IANS report, tickets of Train 18 might be 40-50% higher than the price of Shatabdi Express.

Quoting officials close to the development, the report stated that the officials have approached Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) seeking time for the launch by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which is likely after the presentation of the budget. The first train is slated to run between New Delhi and Varanasi, the Prime Minister’s Lok Sabha constituency.

While the railways had been saying that it had proposed two routes for the train, Delhi to Bhopal and Delhi to Varanasi, this is the first time that the route has been officially confirmed.

“We have successfully tested the train and the suggestions are being incorporated. Very soon the train will be dedicated to the nation and we have requested that Prime Minister Narendra Modi flag it off. This train will run between Delhi and Varanasi in eight hours and the fastest train between the two cities takes 11.30 hours,” Goyal said.

“This train has amenities of international standards, is Wi-Fi enabled, CCTV cameras and it has no locomotive or engine. It is a trainset. It will cover the 750-km route at a maximum speed of 160kmph,” said Goyal, who inspected the rake at the New Delhi railway station.