NEW DELHI: The six new Vande Bharat trains flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday in Jharkhand's Jamshedpur to different destinations offer faster connectivity, safe journeys and a range of passenger amenities, the Railway Ministry has said.
The six new routes that these trains will cover are Tatanagar-Patna, Brahmapur-Tatanagar, Rourkela-Howrah, Deoghar-Varanasi, Bhagalpur-Howrah and Gaya-Howrah.
The details of the new trains are:
Tatanagar-Patna Vande Bharat Express -- It will operate six days a week. It will complete its journey in about seven hours. The train will depart from Tatanagar at 6 a.m. and arrive in Patna at 3 p.m. The return service will be from Patna at 3 p.m. and reach Tatanagar at 11 p.m.
Deoghar-Varanasi route -- This service will travel via the Kiul-Gaya route in Bihar, with a scheduled stop at Nawada. The Varanasi-Deoghar Vande Bharat Express will operate six days a week, except Tuesday.
Tatanagar-Berhampur -- The train will operate six days a week, excluding Tuesdays. This marks the fourth Vande Bharat Express for Odisha.
Bhagalpur - Dumka - Howrah -- The train will connect three states -- Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal.
Gaya - Howrah -- The Howrah-Gaya Vande Bharat Express will operate six days a week, covering a distance of 458 km (285 miles) in 5 hours and 40 minutes, with an average speed of 81 km/h. The regular service will begin on September 18 between Howrah and Gaya every day except Thursday.
Rourkela-Howrah Vande Bharat -- This train will have only three stoppages between the originating and destination stations and pass through Chakradharpur, Tatanagar and Kharagpur. The inaugural special will depart from Rourkela at 11 a.m. and reach Howrah at 6.15 p.m.
These new trains will 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 Vande Bharat Portfolio is ever-expanding with new train services being added for enhanced connectivity. Indigenously designed under the 'Make in India' initiative, it offers cutting-edge features delivering luxury and efficiency to millions of passengers, ” the statement released by the ministry mentioned.
According to the Railway Ministry, as a flagship project of the ‘Make in India’ campaign, these semi-high-speed trains symbolise India's ambition for a modern, efficient, and world-class rail system.
The first Vande Bharat train was inaugurated on February 15, 2019.
The Ministry said the train is capable of reaching a speed of up to 160 kmph, offering an unparalleled travel experience for millions of passengers.
"As of date (September 14, 2024), with a fleet of 54 trains (108 services), Vande Bharat has completed a total of around 36, 000 trips and carried over 3.17 crore passengers, ” the Railway Ministry said.
It added that Vande Bharat is India's first indigenously designed and manufactured semi-high-speed train, which has showcased the nation's engineering prowess.
According to the statement, the original Vande Bharat train set has now proliferated into Vande Bharat 2.0, boasting even more advanced features such as fast acceleration, Kavach, anti-virus system and WiFi, among others.