Source – https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/mc-exclusive-indian-railways-plans-to-launch-60-new-vande-bharat-trains-in-2024-sources-12062521.html
Publisher – Money Control
The Indian Railways (IR) is planning to introduce 60 new Vande Bharat Express trains across 14 states and two Union Territories in the country in 2024, after launching 34 Vande Bharat trains in 2023, multiple officials aware of the ongoing discussions told Moneycontrol.
“As part of the production plan for Vande Bharat trains and rakes, Indian Railways expects to take delivery of nearly 70 trains in 2024, and around 60 of them will be before November 15, which will be launched on new routes,” a senior official aware of the discussions said.
He added that Vande Bharat routes are allocated based on multiple rounds of discussions and case studies by the state government, Indian Railways, and an independent consultant.
“To ensure the need and long viability of Vande Bharat trains, routes are decided after multiple rounds of discussion and Railway Board approval. So far, Railways has identified 35 pairs between which a Vande Bharat Express service can be launched, and case studies are going on for another 50 pairs of cities,” the official added.
The Ministry of Railways has directed Chief Passenger Transportation Managers of Zonal Railways across the network to identify viable Origin-Destination (OD) pairs based on demand.
Whether these venues will be tourist destinations, IT hubs, business centers, state or district headquarters, etc., will be considered.
Officials added that the Indian Railways is also looking to launch Vande Bharat trains across routes where air connectivity is not very extensive or very expensive.
Emails sent to the Ministry of Railways were unanswered at the time of publishing this news.
A second official told Moneycontrol that state governments, especially those of Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, and Kerala, have approached the Indian Railways with potential routes, which are being considered.
“So far, Indian Railways has received requests from nearly every state and Union Territory to launch a Vande Bharat route. The ministry has a plan in place, and all routes are being considered,” the official said.
According to the launch plans by the Indian Railways, the government is looking to launch around 18 new routes by June 2024. This will be followed by the launch of four new routes every fortnight, starting in July 2024.
As part of its plans, Indian Railways is considering launching new Vande Bharat trains on 34 new routes in the northern states and 25 new trains on routes in south India.
“Some of the routes on which Vande Bharat trains will be launched in 2024 include Mumbai to Shegaon, Pune to Shegaon, Belagavi to Pune, Raipur to Varanasi, and Kolkata-Rourkela,” the second official said.
Gujarat is also likely to get two Vande Bharat express trains connecting Vadodara city to Pune, and work is being done to launch a Vande Bharat train along the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link, the first official said.
As of January 15, the Indian Railways operates 41 Vande Bharat trains across India, with the Northern Railways and Southern Railways operating eight trains each.
North Western Railways, Central Railways, South Central Railways, and Western Railways operate three trains each, while East Central Railways, East Coast Railways, South Eastern Railways, and West Central Railways operate two trains each.
Apart from the above, Eastern Railways, North Eastern Railways, Northeast Frontier Railways, South East Central Railways, and South Western Railways run one Vande Bharat train each.
The government plans to run 4,500 Vande Bharat trains by 2047, as said by Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.
Indian Railways has until now awarded contracts for 402 Vande Bharat trains, with deliveries scheduled to be completed by March 2027.
The introduction and expansion of Vande Bharat trains are aimed at providing faster, more efficient, and more comfortable rail transportation for passengers. The Railways had received its highest-ever allocation of Rs 2.4 lakh crore for 2023-24.
Earlier this year, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had said two to three Vande Bharat train sets would roll out from the railway stables every week by next year.
“Apart from ICF Chennai, Vande Bharat trains will be manufactured in Haryana’s Sonipat and Maharashtra’s Latur, and it will fulfil PM Modi’s dream of connecting every corner with Vande Bharat trains,” Vaishnaw had said.
The Vande Bharat Express trains are a flagship initiative by the Indian government to promote indigenous manufacturing and modernise the railway infrastructure.
The first Vande Bharat Express was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 15, 2019.
Vande Bharat is a semi-high-speed train with 16 self-propelled coaches — they do not require an engine. This is called a distributed traction power system, which is increasingly becoming the norm the world over for passenger operations. Distributed power enables higher acceleration and deceleration compared to loco-hauled trains, which take much longer to reach the top speed or to gradually come to a halt.
These trains have improvements in terms of better seating, an anti-bacterial system in the air conditioning system, and the ability to hit 160 km/h in 140 seconds.
