Read details Vande Metro Train’s coach configuration, automated doors, features, route, and much more.
India's railway sector has been getting bigger and better with each passing year, and now it has reached a significant milestone with the unveiling of the country's first Vande Metro train. The Vande Metro would certainly be a momentous effort towards the intra-city transportation system, and aims to completely transform the sector. For one, the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai is working on the Vande Metro trains after delivering several superfast Vande Bharat trains.
Adding to the developments, the Vande Metro was unveiled on April 30, and it is touted to be a shorter-distance version of the Vande Bharat Express. The Vande Metro train would offer services to urban commuters, thereby covering a distance of up to 250 km. It would help commuters to travel within the city and along the routes between 100 km to 250 km distance by taking the Vande Metro trains.
Meanwhile, the Vande Bharat Express variant, which is a sleeper train, is currently also in development. It would span routes exceeding 1,000 km.
It is believed that the Vande Metro train trials are planned to begin in July this year, and it would be followed by the subsequent testing of the sleeper variant.
The Railway Ministry has interestingly rolled out the Vande Metro trains to link 124 cities nationwide. Some of the Vande Metro train routes include Chennai-Tirupati, Bhubaneswar-Balasore, Agra-Mathura, Delhi-Rewari, and Lucknow-Kanpur. However, the route from Chennai to Arakkonam is yet to be finalised, and it would certainly boost connectivity across Tamil Nadu.
News agency PTI quoted a senior official close to the project development as saying, "We have set a target to roll them out this year. Its testing will start in another couple of months. Besides having automatic doors and a high comfort quotient, it will have many features not currently available on currently running metro trains.”
It is further believed that the Vande Metro trains will boast of spacious automatic doors and side seats. As per the coach composition, there will be four coaches, which will constitute one unit. At least, 12 coaches will make one Vande Metro, and as per Railway officials, around 12 Vande Metro coaches will be introduced initially.
“The air-conditioned train will revolutionise the travel era and is expected to run at a maximum speed of 130km per hour,” another official had earlier said, adding, “The bench-type seating arrangement maximises passenger capacity, providing a comfortable medium-distance commute.”
Further capacity would only be increased depending on the demand on the route, and it can go up to 16 coaches per train. To ensure and boost safety, the trains will be equipped with the Kavach system as well to avoid collisions.
