Vande Metro rolls out today from ICF Chennai, to be deployed for short distances | Watch
Indian Railways is set to begin the trial runs for short distance Vande Metro trains in July and the Vande Bharat Sleeper trains next month, in May. The Vande Metro trains are designed to operate on routes as long as 100-250 kms, whereas the Vande Bharat Sleeper trains will run on routes longer than 1,000 kms.
The Vande Metro trains are planned to connect approximately 124 cities across the country, including Lucknow-Kanpur, Agra-Mathura, Delhi-Rewari, Bhubaneswar-Balasore, and Tirupati-Chennai.
The air-conditioned trains will run on existing railway tracks, and they will be catered to the needs of passengers from both urban centres and satellite towns. They are approximated to carry a greater number of passengers in the unreserved category.
An official stated, “These trains are oriented towards high acceleration with frequent stoppages. They will have 12 coaches each and large automatic doors with side seats. There will be more space for passengers to stand. If there is a requirement to carry more passengers, these trains can have 16 coaches as well.”
The offical further disclosed that the natioanl transporter is intending to run 50 push-pull variant Amrit Bharat trains in the current fiscal. These trains will cater to demand of long distance passengers at affordable prices. The first such train was operated on the Delhi-Ayodhya route. These trains have two engines, one in the front and one in the back.
In the near future, the Amrit Bharat trains are going to have a cone shaped nose and will look sleek and modern. These are set to roll out by 2026. Indian Railways plans to deploy 400 of these trains in the near future.
