vande bharat Archives - Lokmarg

Modi Flags Off Vande Bharat Trains For 10 Different Routes From Ahmedabad

By LokMarg 12th March 2024

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday flagged off 10 high-speed Vande Bharat trains across the country from Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

In a major boost to the Railway infrastructure, connectivity and the petrochemicals sector, the Prime Minister visited DFC’s Operation Control Centre in Ahmedabad laid the foundation stone and dedicated a slew of railway and Petrochemicals projects worth over Rs 1,06,000 crores.

The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of Railway Workshops, Loco Sheds, Pit lines/ Coaching Depots; the Phaltan – Baramati New line; Electric Traction System upgradation work and dedicated to the nation two new sections of the Dedicated Freight Corridor between New Khurja to Sahnewal (401 Rkm) section of Eastern DFC and New Makarpura to New Gholvad section (244 Rkm) of Western DFC; Western DFC’s Operation Control Center (OCC), Ahmedabad.

PM Modi also flagged off ten new Vande Bharat trains between Ahmedabad-Mumbai Central, Secunderabad-Visakhapatnam, Mysuru- Dr MGR Central (Chennai), Patna- Lucknow, New Jalpaiguri-Patna, Puri-Visakhapatnam, Lucknow – Dehradun, Kalaburagi – Sir M Visvesvaraya Terminal Bengaluru, Ranchi-Varanasi, Khajuraho- Delhi (Nizamuddin).

The Prime Minister flagged off the extension of four Vande Bharat trains. Ahmedabad-Jamnagar Vande Bharat is being extended till Dwarka, Ajmer- Delhi Sarai Rohilla Vande Bharat is being extended till Chandigarh, Gorakhpur-Lucknow Vande Bharat is being extended till Prayagraj and Thiruvananthapuram- Kasargod Vande Bharat is being extended till Mangaluru; and two new passenger trains between Asansol and Hatia and Tirupati and Kollam stations.

He also flagged off freight trains on the Dedicated Freight Corridor from various locations – New Khurja Jn, Sahnewal, New Rewari, New Kishangarh, New Gholvad, and New Makarpura.

He dedicated to the Nation 50 Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras at Railway Stations. These Jan Aushadi Kendras will offer affordable and quality generic medicines to the people.

The Prime Minister also dedicated 51 Gati Shakti Multi-Modal Cargo Terminals to the Nation. These terminals will promote seamless movement of goods between different modes of transportation.

Prime Minister Modi dedicated to the nation 1045 Rkm of Automatic Signaling in 80 sections. This upgrade will enhance the safety and efficiency of train operations.

Prime Minister dedicated to the nation’s Digital Controlling of Railway stations at 2646 stations. This will improve the operational efficiency and safety of the trains.

The Prime Minister dedicated 35 Rail Coach Restaurants to the nation. The Rail Coach restaurant aims to cater to the needs of passengers and the public apart from generating non-fare revenue for railways.

Prime Minister dedicated more than 1500 One Station One Product Stalls to the nation spread across the country. These stalls will promote local products and generate income for local artisans and businesses.

The Prime Minister also dedicated to the nation Solar Powered Stations/buildings at 975 locations. This initiative will contribute to India’s renewable energy goals and reduce the railways’ carbon footprint.

He laid the foundation stone of the Petrochemicals complex of Petronet LNG including Ethane and Propane handling facilities worth over Rs. 20,600 crores at Dahej, Gujarat. Setting up the Petrochemicals complex in proximity to the existing LNG regasification terminal would result in significant savings in the capex and the opex cost of the project.

Implementation of the project is likely to create an opportunity for direct and indirect employment to the tune of 50,000 persons during the execution phase and an opportunity of employment of over 20,000 persons during its operational phase ushering in huge socio-economic benefits in the region.

The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for Ekta Malls in two states; Gujarat and Maharashtra worth around Rs 400 crores.

Meanwhile, Ekta malls celebrate and support the rich and diverse heritage of Indian handlooms, handicrafts, traditional products and ODOP products. Ekta malls are a symbol of the unity and diversity of India, as well as a catalyst for the development and empowerment of our traditional skills and sectors. (ANI)

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PM To Flag Off 2 Vande Trains From Bengal As ‘Durga Pujo Gift’

By LokMarg 22nd September 2023

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to inaugurate a total of nine Vande Bharat express trains through video conferencing on September 24, of which two will be specifically for West Bengal– one, connecting Patna to Howrah and the other, connecting Ranchi to Howrah. Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of the Eastern Railway, Kaushik Mitra has described this move as a “Durga Pujo gift” to Bengal.

“There are already three Vande Bharat trains in West Bengal- Howrah-New Jalpaiguri Junction, Puri-Howrah and New Jalpaiguri Junction-Guwahati. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has allotted another two Vande Bharats for West Bengal- Patna-Howrah and Ranch Howrah. People of West Bengal will be thrilled and take this as a Durgapuja gift from Narendra Modi,” the Eastern Railway CPRO said speaking to ANI on Friday.

The Vande Bharat Express trains will cover Bengal from the Chittaranjan area to Howrah, the CPRO said adding that both the trains will be inaugurated on the 24th and will reach Howrah station at around 10 pm.

On the new-age facilities that will be provided on board the Vande Bharat trains, Mitra said, “The inclination of the chairs has been increased from 17 degrees to 19 degrees. The cushion seating has been improved. We have also changed the colours of the seats from blue to reddish. We have improved the basins and lighting facilities in the washrooms. We have also introduced wheelchair facilities for the specially-abled passengers from the compartment.”

Speaking on passenger feedback about the Vande Bharat trains, the Eastern Railway CPRO said, “Based on the experiences and feedback we have received from passengers, Vande Bharats are more user-friendly, more sophisticated and more comfortable.”

Mitra further said that the Vande Bharat trains will now be the fastest train travelling on this route and will even be faster than the present Rajdhani Express. While the Rajdhani Express takes 7 hours 45 minutes to reach Howrah from Patna, the Vande Bharat express will take only 6 and a half hours.

“Earlier from Patna to Howrah, the fastest train travelling on this route was Rajdhani Express which used to take 7 hours 45 minutes. With this Vande Bharat Express, it will take only 6 and a half hours,” the CPRO said.

The CPRO said that Asansol being an economic hub in West Bengal, the Vande Bharats will help passengers travelling from these regions to Howrah and to Patna in a short span.

“Asansol is an economic hub. Many steel plants are there, many cement factories are growing up there. People from Patna or Asansol can come to Kolkata or reach Patna in a short span,” he said.

Mitra said that several railway stations have been developed as Amrit Bharat stations with modern facilities. “Many stations have been identified as Amrit Bharat stations. A huge amount has been spent on stations like Asansol, Andal and Bardhaman,” he said. (ANI)

Modi Flags Off Two Vande Bharat Trains From Mumbai

By LokMarg 10th February 2023

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday flagged off two new Vande Bharat trains from Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, CM Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis were present on the occasion.
The new and upgraded version of Vande Bharat Express will run between Mumbai and Solapur and Mumbai and Sainagar Shirdi.

Mumbai-Solapur train, the ninth Vande Bharat train will connect the country’s commercial capital to the City of Textiles and Hutatmas in Maharashtra and ensure faster connectivity to pilgrimage centres such as Siddheshwar in Solapur, Akkalkot, Tuljapur, Pandharpur near Solapur and Alandi near Pune.

Speaking at the at flagging off ceremony of an inaugural run of Mumbai-Solapur and Mumbai-Sainagar Shirdi Vande Bharat Express, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said work has begun to make it an international-level terminus.

“We are introducing 2 Vande Bharat together, that too from the historic Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus. Work has begun to make this an international level terminus,” said Ashwini Vaishnaw.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said it is for the first time that an amount of Rs 13,500 cr has been allocated for railway projects in the state.

“A few people questioned what Maharashtra got in the budget. They clearly didn’t read the Budget document properly. As the Railway Minister and Deputy CM (Devendra Fadnavis) said, Maharashtra had never received Rs 13,500 cr for the railway. For the first time, this amount has been allocated for railway in the state,” said Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde.

According to Railways, the existing superfast train takes 7 hours 55 minutes while Vande Bharat will complete the same journey in 6 hours 30 minutes, thus saving 1 hour 30 minutes of travel time. It will also connect pilgrimage centres, textile hub, tourist sites and the education hub of Pune.

The 10th Vande Bharat Train in the country, the Mumbai-Sainagar Shirdi Vande Bharat Express, will boost connectivity to important pilgrimage centres in Maharashtra’s Nashik, Trimbakeshwar, Sainagar Shirdi, and Shani Singapur.

The Vande Bharat Train is an indigenously manufactured, Semi-High Speed and self-propelled train set. The train is equipped with state-of-the-art passenger amenities, providing a much faster, more comfortable and more convenient travel experience for railway passengers.

According to Indian Railways, Vande Bharat 2.0 is equipped with advanced and improved features enabling it to reach 0 to 100 kmph in just 52 seconds, a further 129 seconds to reach 160 kmph, and a maximum speed of up to 180 kilometres per hour. The improved Vande Bharat will weigh 392 tonnes as compared to the previous version, which weighed 430 tonnes.

It also comes with Wi-Fi connection on-demand facility. Every coach has 32-inch screens providing passengers with information and infotainment, compared to the 24-inch screens in the previous version. The Vande Bharat Express 2.0 is also environmentally friendly as the ACs are 15 per cent more energy efficient.

With dust-free clean air cooling of the traction motor, travel will become more comfortable. The side recliner seats, which were provided only to Executive Class passengers earlier, have now been made available for all the classes. Executive coaches have the added feature of 180-degree rotating seats.

In its new design, the Vande Bharat Express comes with a photo-catalytic ultraviolet air purification system in the Roof-Mounted Package Unit (RMPU) for air purification. Further, as recommended by Central Scientific Instruments Organisation (CSIO), Chandigarh, this system is designed and installed on both ends of RMPU to filter and clean the air, keeping it free from germs, bacteria, and viruses.

The Vande Bharat Express 2.0 offers various superior and aircraft-like travelling experiences. It is equipped with advanced state-of-the-art safety features including an indigenously developed Train Collision Avoidance System – KAVACH. (ANI)