Vande Bharat Express to ply from Oct 5, booking opens
LUDHIANA: The first commercial run of the Delhi-katra Vande Bharat Express (22439/22430) will be on October 5 and booking for this engine-less, semi-high speed train is now open on the IRCTC website.
The passengers travelling from Delhi will be able to reach Katra within eight hours, while those boarding from Ludhiana would take around five hours to reach their destination.
Also called Train 18, it will run at a maximum speed of 130 kmph and only stop at three stations — Ambala Cantt, Ludhiana and Jammu Tawi — for two minutes each. The train, which will be flagged off by Union home minister Amit Shah on October 3 from Delhi, will run on all days of the week except Tuesdays.
FARE HIGHER THAN SHATABDIS
Travelling in Vande Bharat Express will cost more as compared to Shatabdi and other express trains.
To travel from Ludhiana to New Delhi (or vice versa) in Vande Bharat Express, one will have to shell out ₹1,800 for executive class and ₹1,005 for chair car. This amount includes catering, reservation, GST and other charges.
The fare for Amritsar Shatabdi and Swarna Shatabdi is ₹1,320 and ₹1,355 for executive class, and ₹840 and ₹880 for chair car.
The ticket will cost ₹2,965 for executive class and ₹1,570 for chair car for those travelling from New Delhi to Katra (or vice versa), whereas prominent trains such Malwa Express and Jammu Rajdhani have maximum fare of ₹1,430 and ₹2,640 for AC second class and first class.
Vande Bharat Express will depart from the New Delhi railway station at 6am to reach Katra at 2pm, stopping at Ludhiana at 9.19am. It comprises 16 coaches, including two driver cars, two executive chair car and 12 chair car coaches.
The train also has windows with a special provision to protect against stone-pelting and a cattle guard in the front to prevent damage to the train or derailment in case of cattle run.