Railways reform on track
PRIME MINISTER Narendra Modi launched a third India-made high speed train in his home state of Gujarat, as a part of plans to modernise the country’s rail network.
New Delhi plans to launch 75 of the Vande Bharat Express trains by August 2023 to connect all major industrial and business cities.
The trains have a top speed of 160 kilometres (99 miles) an hour. The average speed of Indian trains has remained around 50 kmph, and of freight trains around 25 kmph, hitting the state-owned railways’ earnings, according to a national auditor’s report in April.
The 16-coach Vande Bharat Express, with a capacity of 1,128 passengers, will provide a better experience for travellers even compared to flying, Modi said after the launch late last month.
The train – with updated passenger facilities compared with the previous two versions – will connect Mumbai with Gandhinagar, the capital of Gujarat state, a senior railways official said.
Pathik Patwari, president of the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry, welcomed the launch.
“Many businessmen who do not travel much on trains due to long travel time will start travelling on the train now,” he said.
A spokesperson for Integrated Coach Factory, Chennai, which manufactured the train, said it was fully designed in India, and would cost about `11 billion (£121.6 million).
He said the staterun factory aimed to produce at least 27 trains by March 2023.