The services for the fifth Vande Bharat Express -the high-speed train which is said to have given a facelift to the Indian Railways – are set to be launched next month on November 10. It will connect Chennai, Bengaluru and Mysuru.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had flagged off the services for the fourth Vande Bharat Express train in Himachal Pradesh’s Una district on Thursday. Later, Jairam Thakur and Manohar Lal Khattar, chief ministers of two states – Himachal Pradesh and Haryana – were seen riding on the high-speed train. The train is set to bring the travel time between Delhi and Chandigarh to three hours from next week onwards. The travel time from Una to New Delhi will be reduced by two hours, a government statement said.
“Vande Bharat 2.0 is equipped with more advancements and improved features such as reaching a speed of 0 to 100 kilometres per hour in just 52 seconds, and a maximum speed of up to 180 kilometres per hour. The improved Vande Bharat Express will weigh 392 tons when compared to the previous version of 430 tons. It will also have a Wi-Fi content on-demand facility,” the statement by Prime Minister’s office highlighted. It also boasts of “aircraft-like travelling experiences” and state-of-the-art safety features including an indigenously developed Train Collision Avoidance System – KAVACH.