The train which was recently renamed Vande Bharat Express will begin operations from February 17. The train will travel from Delhi to Varanasi in nine hours and forty-five minutes, which includes stoppage time of 40 minutes each at Kanpur and Allahabad where there will be special programmes.
The semi-high speed Train 18, which has been recently renamed Vande Bharat Express, can run up to a maximum speed of 160 kmph and has travel classes like the Shatabdi trains but with better facilities. It aims to provide a totally new travel experience to passengers.
The swanky train has 16 air-conditioned coaches of which two are executive class coaches. The total seating capacity is 1,128 passengers.
All coaches have automatic doors, include GPS-based audio-visual passenger information system, onboard hotspot WiFi for entertainment purposes and most importantly, the seating is comfortable.
Every coach has a pantry facility to serve hot meals and, hot and cold beverages. The insulation is meant to keep heat and noise to very low levels for additional passenger comfort.
Adding up the green footprints, the train has a regenerative braking system which can save up to 30 per cent of electrical energy. The Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai, has been the force behind the complete in-house design and manufacture of this train which was completed in just 18 months.
The toilets on the train are of bio-vacuum type (flush toilets that use suction). The lighting is dual mode, that is diffused for general illumination and personal for every seat.
Tickets of the first commercial run of Vande Bharat Express on February 17 have been completely sold out
The chair car fares are 1.4 times the base price of Shatabdi trains running the same distance and that of the executive class 1.3 times of a first class air-conditioned ticket in the premium train.
From Delhi to Varanasi, an air-conditioned chair car ticket will cost Rs 1,760 and the executive class fare will be Rs 3,310, while on the return, a chair car ticket will cost Rs 1,700 and that of a seat in the executive class Rs 3,260. Both fares are inclusive of catering charges.
Tickets include meal charges. Passengers travelling from New Delhi to Varanasi in the executive class will be charged Rs 399 for morning tea, breakfast, and lunch, and travelers in the chair car Rs 344 for the same.
Adding up the green footprints, the train has a regenerative braking system which can save up to 30 per cent of electrical energy. The Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai, has been the force behind the complete in-house design and manufacture of this train which was completed in just 18 months.
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