The Vande Bharat Express also known as Train 18 is an intercity, semi-high-speed, electric train operated by the Indian Railways. As of October 2022, this train operates on 4 routes, which include New Delhi to Katra, New Delhi to Varanasi, Gandhinagar to Mumbai and Una to New Delhi. Now, as per sources, the train is ready to make its Southern Debut with the new route launch between Chennai-Bengaluru and Mysuru from November 10.
The trains are designed and manufactured by Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, under the Make in India initiative. The Vande Bharat Express has a maximum speed of 160km/hr that can be sustained for 140 seconds. During the testing of this train it reached up to 180km/hr but tracks are not capable of supporting such high speeds so the train now operates for a speed of a maximum of 130km/hr. After years of planning, testing, and production the train was finally inaugurated on 15 February 2019 and started its first trip from New Delhi to Vaishno Devi, Katra. The train is also equipped with a number of safety features.
The train is lighter in terms of manufacturing and capable of reaching higher speeds in a shorter duration of time. While providing a comfortable and faster travelling experience the train also aims at promoting tourism. Vande Bharat 2.0 trains come fitted with the Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) called KAVACH. Coaches are also equipped with disaster lights. The train’s exterior has eight flatform-side cameras,. There is also a passenger-guard communication facility in coaches, which comes with an automatic voice recording feature.
During some of its recent runs, the train has experienced teething troubles with several collisions marring its journeys. Recently, while travelling from Gandhinagar to Mumbai, the Vande Bharat express hit a cow at the Anand station in Gujarat. A day before this accident, the train had also hit four buffaloes in Ahmedabad and the train's front portion also called the cone nose was damaged and later replaced. Officials commented that the train was designed in such a way that even if there was an accident, nothing would happen to the train.
The trains run at a speed of 130-160km/hr and accidents are inevitable since the railway tracks are laid on the ground. But it has been designed in such a way that the train can be mended whenever there is an accident. After this accident, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) launched a case against the owners of buffaloes that were hit by the Mumbai-Gandhinagar Vande Bharat train. An FIR has also been launched against the unidentified owners of the buffaloes that came in between the train Vatva and Maninagar stations in Ahmedabad. The FIR has been launched under section 147 of the Railway Act,1989 which deals with unauthorised entry into any areas of the railway. All passengers were safe during the accident and the train also did not suffer much loss.
While only its cone-shaped nose had to be repaired which was done overnight, we hope the Vande Bharat trains deliver the speed, efficiency and progress with safety as promised for Indian travellers - that is sure to keep our noses high up in the air -undamaged!
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