On 13th of October, the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi has solemnly flagged off the fourth Vande Bharat Express train from Una railway station in Himachal Pradesh.
The Vande Bharat Express, also known as Train 18, is an Indian semi-high-speed, intercity, EMU train which is operated by the Indian Railways. The first Vande Bharat Express was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 15 February 2019. The launch came months after Integral Coach Factory (ICF) launched made-in-India coaches. A self-propelled engine that all the newest trains are equipped with enables diesel saving and reduction of electricity usage by 30%.
Vande Bharat 2.0 trains come fitted with the Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) called KAVACH, which the previous trains did not have. Coaches are equipped with disaster lights with a battery backup of three hours. There is also a passenger-guard communication facility in coaches, which comes with an automatic voice recording feature.
The trains offer world-class comfort and facilities to passengers. The fully air-conditioned Vande Bharat has several modern features such as sliding doors, personalized reading lights, mobile charging points, attendant call buttons, bio-toilets, automatic entry and exit doors, CCTV cameras, reclining facility, comfortable seats, etc.
“400 new generation Vande Bharat trains with better efficiency are to be brought in during the next 3 years” — the Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs of India, Nirmala Sitharaman, has announced while presenting the Union Budget 2022 in Lok Sabha.