160 km/h (99 mph) (maximum) 75 km/h (47 mph) (average)
Average length
384 m (1,260 ft) (16 coaches) 192 m (630 ft) (8 coaches)
Vande Bharat Express is a medium-distance superfast express service operated by Indian Railways. It is a reserved, air-conditionedchair car service connecting cities that are less than 800 km (500 mi) apart or take less than ten hours to travel with existing services. The train entered commercial service on 15 February 2019.
In 1960, the Railway Board of India commissioned a study to increase the speed of its trains, which was restricted to 96 km/h (60 mph) on the existent broad gauge lines.[1] A target of 160 km/h (99 mph) with an intermediate stage of 120 km/h (75 mph) was set for passenger trains. Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) started work on the same and using the coaches were manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) at Madras and hauled by diesel locomotives, Rajdhani Express capable of reaching speeds of up to 120 km/h (75 mph) were introduced in 1969.[2][3] With the introduction of WAP-1 electric locomotives, Shatabdi Express introduced in 1988, were capable of running at a maximum speed of 130 km/h (81 mph).[4][5][6]
From the late 1990s, the ICF coaches were replaced by safer and newer LHB coaches designed by Linke-Hofmann-Busch of Germany.[7][8] In December 2009, the Ministry of Railways of Government of India envisaged the implementation of high-speed rail projects to provide services at 250–350 km/h (160–220 mph) with the up-gradation of existing tracks, construction of new lines and introduction of high speed trainsets.[9][10] In 2014, proposals were made to introduce semi-high-speed 160–200 km/h (99–124 mph) services between major cities.[11] In 2016, Gatimaan Express was inaugurated which achieved speeds of 160 km/h (99 mph) between Delhi and Agra.[12]
In June 2016, Indian Railways sought Requests For Qualification (RFQ) to jointly manufacture five thousand Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) sets with interested international and domestic parties.[13] In 2015, Talgo conducted trial runs on the Mumbai–Delhi line, completing the journey in ten hours, almost six hours quicker than the existing fastest train with an average speed of 117.5 km/h (73.0 mph). There were significant issues such as the adaptation of rakes, maintenance, higher costs and robustness.[14]Indian Railways could not reach a direct agreement and the deal never materialized.[15]
Making an indigenous trainset (2016-19)
After foreign proposals for introducing semi-high-speed trains were unsuccessful, the Make in India campaign fueled the cause for developing the next generation EMU semi-high-speed trainsets locally. RDSO worked on an indigenous design, which was constructed at the Integral Coach Factory.[16] These trainsets known as Train 18 initially, were introduced in 2018 and reached speeds of up to 183 km/h (114 mph) in trials.[17] It trainset was later renamed to Vande Bharat.[18]
After the inauguration of first two services, Indian Railways stopped production of new trainsets owing to internal issues.[23] In 2019, Indian Railways resumed tenders for the production of new sets with more time provided to come up with the cheapest bid for the upgrades required.[24] The second generation trainsets entered service on 30 September 2022.[25] Since the Vande Bharat express provided faster service across short-distances, similar to the Shatabdi Express, the trains will eventually replace the existing Shatabdis.[26] As of 2023, ICF is developing long distance version of the trainset with sleeper cars.[26]
Rolling stock
The trainset is capable of reaching speeds of up to 180 km/h (110 mph) but limited operationally to lower speeds
Vande Bharat express uses self-propelled EMU trainsets manufactured by Integral Coach Factory in Chennai.[27] The trainsets have sixteen or eight chair cars.[28] A standard sixteen car rake consists of two Driving Trailer Coaches, one each on every end along with two non-driver trailer coaches, four trailer coaches with pantographs and eight motor coaches.[29] A second generation sixteen car trainset weighs 392 tonnes and costs ₹115 crore (US$14 million).[30][31] The chassis of a coach is 23 m (75 ft) long, and is made of stainless steel.[32]
During its trial runs, the trainsets had clocked speeds of up to 183 km/h (114 mph) with an acceleration of 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) in 52 seconds.[33][17] The operational speed is limited due to track restrictions, halts and traffic congestion. The maximum operational speed of 160 km/h (99 mph) is achieved by the Rani Kamalapati (Habibganj)–Hazrat Nizamuddin Vande Bharat Express on the 174 km (108 mi) Tughlakabad–Agra section.[34]
Facilities
AC Executive Class (EC)
AC Chair Car (CC)
The train has two classes of accommodation with the AC Executive Class being the premium class and AC chair being the other. The executive class coach has a capacity to seat 52 passengers and is equipped with rotating seats in 2x2 configuration.[35] The chair car coaches have a capacity to seat 78 passengers per coach (44 in first and last coaches) and are equipped with retractable seats in 2x3 configuration.[36] The coaches are fully air conditioned and equipped with electric outlets, reading lights, CCTV cameras, automatic doors, bio-vacuum toilets, Sensor-based water taps and Passenger information system.[37] The coaches have wider windows with roller blinds and overhead racks for luggage.[38] The service offers onboard catering with both vegetarian and non-vegetarian meal options included in the fare as standard.[39]
In 2020, Northern Railways stated that the New Delhi-Varanasi Vande Bharat Express, which was launched in 2019, had a cumulative earning of ₹92 crore (US$12 million) with 100% occupancy after one year of service.[101] According to data shared by the Indian Railways, between 1 April 2022 and 8 February 2023, the Vande Bharat Express had an average occupancy of 99% compared to 97% for other super-fast trains (Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Duronto express).[102][103] The Thiruvananthapuram - Kasaragod Vande Bharat Express had the highest patronage with nearly 200% booking and Bilaspur – Nagpur Vande Bharat Express had the lowest occupancy rate of 53%.[104]
Future development
Vande Metro is a proposed service that will operate on a short-distance, inter-city rail network to connect major cities within a distance of around 100 km (62 mi). This will run with multiple service per day and replace the existing MEMU trains.[105][106] A long-distance version equipped with sleeper cars is also under development with trails commencing in 2023. These trains will eventually replace Rajdhani and other super-fast trains in long distance routes and will be manufactured by BEML in collaboration with ICF.[107]
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