Source: https://www.financialexpress.com/infrastructure/railways/how-indian-railways-vande-bharat-trains-are-setting-up-international-benchmark/2487742/
Publisher: Financial Express
Aatma Nirbhar Bharat boost to Indian Railways: India’s standards are now an International benchmark as per an International publication, claimed My Gov India Twitter handle. The Saudi Gazette stated that Indian Railways’ Vande Bharat Express has given a new impetus to the Modi government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative. Every unit of Vande Bharat Express is estimated to be 40 per cent cheaper than European ones. Moreover, the publication also said that the new Indian Railways braking saves 30 per cent of electrical energy. Earlier, the government had said that the major systems of Vande Bharat have been designed and built-in India, keeping with the vision of Prime Minister’’Make in India’.
All coaches of the Vande Bharat Express are equipped with GPS based audio-visual passenger information system, automatic doors, onboard hotspot WiFi for entertainment purposes, as well as very comfortable seats. All toilets on the train are of bio-vacuum type. The lighting inside the train is dual-mode, viz. diffused for general illumination as well as personal for every passenger seat. Every coach in the Vande Bharat Express has a pantry with the facility to serve hot meals as well as hot and cold beverages. Besides, for additional passenger comfort, the insulation is meant to keep heat and noise to very low levels.
Indian Railways’ Vande Bharat Express train has a total of 16 AC coaches of which two coaches are executive class coaches. The total seating capacity of Vande Bharat is 1,128 passengers. According to the PMO, this capacity is much more than the conventional rake of Shatabdi Express with an equal number of coaches. This is also due to the shifting of all-electric equipment below the coaches as well as seats in the driving coach. Earlier, the PMO had stated that safety, speed and service are the hallmarks of Vande Bharat. It had said that the impact of Vande Bharat, matching international standards of performance, safety as well as comfort and yet costing less than half of global prices, can become a game-changer in the global railway business.
