Train 18 to be known as Vande Bharat Express
NEW DELHI: Train 18, billed as India’s fastest train, will be called Vande Bharat Express, Union minister Piyush Goyal said on Sunday.
Goyal called the naming of the indigenously-manufactured train a “vandaniya step” towards the realisation of the “New India vision”.
“It is completely made in India and various names were suggested by the general public but we have decided to name it Vande Bharat Express... Will request the Prime Minister to flag it off,” news agency PTI quoted Goyal as saying
Vande Bharat Express is India’s first semi-high speed train that can achieve a maximum speed of 160 kmph due to faster acceleration and deceleration, officials familiar with the matter said.
The train is set to run between New Delhi and Varanasi and will cover the 755 km distance in eight hours, making it the fastest train on the route, officials said. The current fastest train takes around 11-and-ahalf-hours to complete the journey.
The train incorporates many modern features, which will be seen on the Indian trains for the first time, those familiar with the development said. It provides what officials called “state-of-the-art” amenities to passengers like on-board Wifi, Gps-based passenger information system, CCTVS and rotating chairs in executive class, etc. at par with global standards. It will have 16 coaches with Chair Car type configuration with 2 Executive Class Chair Cars and 14 Chair Cars.