Vande Bharat Express

The Vande Bharat Express, previously known as Train 18, is a semi-high-speed, electric multiple unit train operated by Indian Railways. It was designed and manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai. The first train was manufactured in 18 months at the cost of ₹97 crore. The service was named 'Vande Bharat Express' on 27 January 2019. The train was launched on 15 February 2019.

History

Background

India had long since planned to introduce a high-speed rail network. Safety and cost were the primary concerns for the Indian railways. Indian Railways aimed at increasing its maximum speed of to .

Indian Railways went on to achieve speeds of 99 mph by the mid-2010 after the introduction of Gatimaan Express in 2016, which is still the fastest operating train till date. The next logical step for Indian Railways was to build a modern high-speed rail. When the Indian railways had floated a tender in June 2015, they found none of the bids to be viable and hence decided to move ahead to build it completely in India. In early 2017, it was planned that the indigenous (EMU) semi-high-speed train, with modern facilities onboard, would run at a speed of . Two new train sets were announced to be manufactured in ICF and were named 'Train-2018' since the manufacturing of these semi-high-speed services were targeted for completion in the year 2018.

Manufacturing first set

The manufacturing of 'Train-2018' was completed in October 2018. It was planned to replace the then-existing 30-year-old Shatabdi Express, which takes 15% more time to complete the same journey. During test runs, the train achieved an operational speed of 180 km/h and India conducted a trial run at this speed for the first time by a train with LHB coaches in 2000 (as per many speed certificates of LHB coach trains on RDSO websit

but the Vande Bharat Express has higher acceleration.

Speed and acceleration

Vande Bharat Express has a maximum commercial speed of 160 km/h. It exceeded 180 km/h during testing, but its tracks are not capable of supporting such high speeds; thus the train is operated at a maximum speed of and Chennai - Mysuru is even slower which will be increased (view the train service table below). In this context, it can be said that the Gatimaan Express is the fastest train in India as per its maximum permissible speed of during the Tughlakabad to Agra part of its route; and that the Habibganj–New Delhi Shatabdi Express is the second fastest train in India as per its maximum permissible speed of 150 kmph during the Tughlakabad to Agra Cant part of its route.

Acceleration and decelaration of Vande Bharat Express are famous. It has the highest acceleration on Indian rail network. Its acceleration is comparable with bullet trains as its second version has achieved 0 kmph to 100 kmph speed in just 52 seconds during trial. As per two Facebook posts on a page with verified tags to inform that the page belongs to Western Railway on 30 September 2022: The first and second versions achieve 0-100 mph (0-160 Kmph) in 145 sec and 129 secs respectively. The second version achieves 0-100 Kmph in just 52 seconds. The Designated Residual Acceleration of the first version is 0.05 m/s², and of the second version is 0.11 m/s².

Trial runs

The train's first trial run occurred on 29 October 2018 in Chennai, focusing on crew orientation and brake testing, with further testing scheduled in Delhi on 7 November and later in Kota, Rajasthan. An Indian Railways official reported that "some fuses went off" during the trial in Chennai, but that the issue was minor and quickly fixed. The train ended up leaving for Delhi later than expected, on 11 November, and arrived on 13 November. Testing was set to commence along a section of track between Bareilly and Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh on 17 November, but the location was subsequently changed to the stretch of rail between Moradabad and Rampur due to unspecified issues with the initial section of track. The MoradabadRampur testing occurred at low speeds ranging from . After the lower-speed testing, the train was moved to a section of track between Kota and Sawai Madhopur to be tested at operating speed. A team put together by India's Research Design and Standards Organisation will supervise the testing and give the go-ahead for the final speed test.

During its trials, Train 18 reached speeds of , the highest speed any train in India has reached. However, due to the speed limits of routes used by the Vande Bharat Express, the actual top operating speed is restricted to . The train is capable of a speed of up to .

On 20 December 2018, one of the train's windows was smashed by a thrown stone during its trial run from Delhi to Agra. The ICF's general manager, Sudhanshu Mani tweeted that a vandal pelted a stone which broke the glass and hoped to nab him soon.

Inauguration

After four years of planning, manufacturing, and testing, Train 18 was inaugurated on 15 February 2019 and was ready to begin service from New Delhi to Varanasi. It was soon renamed to 'Vande Bharat Express' by Railway minister. Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the inaugural run on 15 February 2019, with its commercial run starting from 17 February 2019. It runs on the Delhi–Varanasi route, via Kanpur and Prayagraj, connecting the holy city of Varanasi to the Capital city, reducing travel time along the route by 15%. The train's regenerative brakes are also expected to allow a 30% savings in electricity costs as compared to its predecessor. Operating at a speed of , it will outpace the Shatabdi Express by . Although the trainset has been tested for speeds up to 180 km/h, operational speed has been capped at 130 km/h as an internal report by Indian Railways indicated that just 0.3% of the country's track are capable of supporting such speeds. Every other car on the train is motorized. The 8-hour journey from New Delhi to Varanasi station has the Chair Car CC Class fare of ₹1,440.00 and covers the total distance of about 762 kilometers.

After the success of the New Delhi–Varanasi route and the later New Delhi– Katra route, the Railway Board approved the production of 45 new Vande Bharat train sets by 2022. Production was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic (which caused a 12.5% loss in annual production capacity) and other administrative issues. Despite this, the Union minister decided to move ahead with the schedule and asked the officials to build 10 trains by August 2022.

2019-present

Indian Railways placed orders for 48 second generation Vande Bharat trainsets in January 2021, and an additional 58 rakes in March 2022. In the 2022 Union Budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that the government would manufacture 400 more Vande Bharat trains over the next three years.

The Railways had ordered 36,000 wheels for Vande Bharat trainsets from Ukraine at a cost of US$16 million. Supplies were disrupted due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Railways placed orders with companies based in the Czech Republic, Poland, Malaysia, China, and the United States to ensure an undisrupted supply of wheels. In May 2022, the Railways hired Steel Authority of India (SAIL) to produce 100,000 wheels at its Durgapur steel plant. The Railways invited bids in September 2022 to establish a manufacturing plant in India with a capacity to produce 80,000 wheels for high-speed trains annually.

Train versions

Vande Bharat 1 (VB1)

The Vande Bharat was designed and manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) under the leadership of Sudhanshu Mani as part of the Make in India initiative. It was originally called Train 18. Railway Minister Piyush Goyal announced on 26 January 2019 that the train would be named Vande Bharat Express.

The Vande Bharat Express' exterior employs an aerodynamic design intended to reduce air resistance at high speeds. It has a driver cabin at each end, allowing for faster turnaround at terminating stations. The trainset weighs 430 tonnes, and has 16 passenger cars with a seating capacity of 1,128 passengers. Two of the center compartments are first class compartments that seat 52 each, with the rest being coach compartments seating 78 each. The chassis of a coach is 23 meters long, and the frame of the train is made entirely of stainless steel. Alternate coaches are motorized to ensure an even distribution of power and quicker acceleration and deceleration. The cars are interconnected and fully sealed to allow better mobility between coaches and reduce noise. The train features a GPIS-based passenger information system, bio-vacuum toilets, and rotational seats which can be aligned in the direction of travel (only in executive class). Vande Bharat employs a regenerative braking system.

The Vande Bharat can reach a maximum speed of 180 km/h. It can accelerate to a speed of 100 km/h in 54.6 seconds and reach its maximum speed in 145 seconds. Trains are equipped with 24 inch television screens that serve as the passenger information and entertainment system. The train's underframe electrical equipment can withstand floods up to 40 centimetres.

The assembly of the train takes 8 weeks. About 80-85% of the components that go into the making of Vande Bharat are indigenously sourced. Among the imported components are the wheels, seats, doors, braking system, transformers, and electronic parts such as processing chips, with plans to produce them domestically. The train's seats were imported from Spain, and the wheels were imported from Ukraine.

Indian Railways and ICF were also planning the development of Train 20, an upgraded version of Train 18, intended to replace the Rajdhani Express. The new train was planned to have an aluminium body with sleeper coaches.

Vande Bharat 2 (VB2)

The VB2 trains can accelerate to a speed of 100 km/h in 52 seconds compared to the 54.6 seconds taken to reach the same speed by the older version. The train can reach a speed of 160 km/h in 140 seconds, 5 seconds faster than the first generation Vande Bharat. VB2 is also lighter weighing 392 tonnes compared to 430 tonnes for the previous version. Trains are equipped with larger 32 inch television screens and have Wi-Fi onboard. The air conditioning system onboard the VB2 is 15% more energy efficient than the original Vande Bharat trainset. Other improvements in VB2 include automatic plug doors, touch free sliding doors, emergency communication units, accessible toilets, a more spacious driver's cabin, and reclinable seats in all coaches. To address the seat reclining issues of the previous version, the new rakes will be equipped with a push-back arrangement for smooth reclining. VB2 is equipped with the Kavach train protection system.

In addition to the previous facilities, the second version of this train will include upgraded amenities, seating, security and surveillance systems and features designed for emergencies. The new rolling stock will be equipped with new rakes that will be equipped with four emergency windows, disaster lights in all coaches in the event of the light system's failure, fire survival cables inside of door circuits, availability of ventilation for three hours in case of Air Conditioner's power failure and emergency push buttons will also be increased to four per coach. The new coaches are also set to be equipped with a centralised Coach Monitoring System for all types of electricity and climate control, among other new additions. An official added that the new coaches will be provided with a bacteria-free air conditioning system and higher flood protection of underframe electrical equipment to ensure reliability during monsoons up to 65 centimetres.

Trial runs for the Vande Bharat 2 (VB2) were completed on 9 September 2022. The first VB2 rake entered service on 30 September 2022. A total of 102 VB2 trainsets have been ordered by Indian Railways. As of October 2022, four VB2s have been built, and about half a dozen are under production at ICF. Sudhanshu Mani said, "Now that ICF has already developed four such trains and have got a hang of the process, they can easily roll out three-four trains per month and around 40 by 15 August next year."

Vande Bharat 3 (VB3) (

TRAIN 20)

The Vande Bharat 3 trainset will introduce sleeper coaches for the first time. It will have three classes - AC-1, AC-2 and AC-3. The VB3 is expected to have a maximum speed of 180 to 200 km/h and design life of 35 years.

The VB3 is expected to be lighter, more energy efficient, and have better passenger amenities than the VB2. Half of the VB3 trainsets have coaches made of steel, while the other half are made of aluminium with articulated bogies.

Vande Bharat 4 (VB4)

The fourth generation Vande Bharat trains will have a higher maximum speed of 200 km/h. VB4 coaches will be made of light-weight aluminium alloy. The VB4 is expected to feature improved passenger amenities such as 3-pin socket and USB power socket for every passenger, zero discharge toilet systems, and facilities to accommodate passengers traveling in wheelchairs. The VB4 will also be fitted with a cattle guard that is designed to absorb collisions with animals weighing up to 600 kg, and prevent animals from being swept under the train in the event of impact.

At least half of all VB4 trainsets are expected to be tilting trains, which would be the first time the technology is commercially deployed in India. The first VB4 rake is expected to enter service in 2026.

Production

The Vande Bharat was designed and manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) under the leadership of Sudhanshu Mani as part of the Make in India initiative. The unit cost of the first train was estimated at . A total of two first generation Vande Bharat trainsets were built by the ICF.

Indian Railways first floated a tender to manufacture 44 VB2 rakes in July 2020. The agency refloated the tender thrice, the fourth (and final) tender being floated in September 2020. The tender was floated under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative and required 75% of the components to be locally sourced. Indian Railways received three bids for the tender and awarded a contract to Hyderabad-based Medha Servo Drives to manufacture 44 Vande Bharat trainsets on 21 January 2021. Medha will build the rakes at ICF (24 rakes), Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala and Modern Coach Factory, Raebareli (10 rakes each).

Indian Railways floated a tender to manufacture an additional 58 VB2 rakes on 28 August 2021. In March 2022, Indian Railways awarded contracts to seven companies to supply equipment and manufacture the 58 trainsets at a total cost of . The seven companies are Medha Servo Drives, Alstom, Siemens, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), Titagarh Wagons, Saini Electricals and CGL. The ICF will supervise the manufacture of 26 of the 58 rakes. Medho Servo Drives will build propulsion systems under ICF oversight. Siemens will supply propulsion systems to manufacture 16 rakes at the Modern Coach Factory, and Alstom will supply propulsion systems for 9 trains to be built at the Rail Coach Factory. BHEL will supply components for 4 trainsets, while CGL, Saini Electricals, and Titagarh Wagons will build one rake each. All 7 of these rakes are will also be built at the ICF.

Indian Railways invited bids to design and manufacture 200 VB3 trainsets in April 2022. The agency estimated that it would cost The estimate includes the cost of upgrading infrastructure at either the Marathwada Rail Coach Factory in Latur or the ICF where the VB3 is planned to be manufactured. A further will be paid to the winning bidders over a 35 year period for maintenance. The bidders would be required to build the first prototype VB3 trainset within 24 months of being awarded the contract.

Indian Railways floated tenders to manufacture and maintain 200 VB4 trainsets in July 2022. It also requires the winner to improve infrastructure at a manufacturing unit of the ICF and the Rail Coach Naveenikaran Karkhana (RCNK), Sonipat.

Services

In service

Proposed services

Seater

# New Delhi - Amritsar Junction by replacing one of the Shatabdi Express trains https://www.news18.com/news/india/indian-railways-identifies-27-new-routes-to-replace-shatabdi-and-jan-shatabdi-with-vande-bharat-trains-4781369.htmlhttps://zeenews.india.com/railways/good-news-for-passengers-of-intercity-and-shatabdi-railway-minister-makes-this-big-announcement-2488050.htmlhttps://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/voices/why-the-railways-should-focus-on-improving-the-efficiency-of-the-shatabdi-trains/
# New Delhi - Lucknow Junction railway station, Lucknow Junction by replacing Shatabdi Express
# New Delhi - Rani Kamalapati by replacing Shatabdi Express
# New Delhi - Chandigarh by replacing Shatabdi Express
# Delhi - Jaipur Junction, Jaipur Junction - Jodhpur Junction - these two routes may be merged into one route which is Delhi - Jaipur - Jodhpu

# Howrah railway station, Howrah - Ranchi Junction by replacing Shatabdi Expressbr>
# Howrah/Kolkata-Patna https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/40-new-vande-bharat-express-trains-by-2022/story-jOMnZOLenfRUpZeajC3D7O.html (probable) https://www.anandabazar.com/india/ministry-of-railways-claims-that-there-are-plans-to-run-vande-bharat-trains-in-at-least-5-stations-in-east-india-including-west-bengal/cid/1385116
# Varanasi Junction railway station, Varanasi Junction - Howrahbr>
# Puri railway station, Puri - Howrah railway station, Howrah by replacing Shatabdi Express
# Howrah - Bhubaneswar
# Howrah/Sealdah - New Jalpaiguri https://www.telegraphindia.com/west-bengal/vande-bharat-train-awaits-new-jalpaiguri-junction-railway/cid/1902233 It is still unknown if the Shatabdi Express will be replaced or not.
# Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus- Pune Junctionbr>
# Bangalore City railway station, KSR Bengaluru - Dharwad via Hubballi

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/second-vande-bharat-express-in-the-state-likely-to-run-between-hubballi-and-bengaluru-by-march-2023/article66158007.ece

# Secunderabad railway station, Secunderabad - Vijayawada/ Visakhapatnam - initially upto Vijayawada and later it will be extended to Visakhapatna

https://www.zeebiz.com/indian-railways/news-vande-bharat-express-new-routes-announced-vande-bharat-express-sealdah-new-jalpaiguri-vande-bharat-secunderabad-to-vijayawada-details-inside-211079
# Hyderabad Deccan railway station, Hyderabad - Tirupatibr>
# Nagpur - Hyderabad
# Chennai Central railway station, Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central Railway Station - Coimbatore Junction (It is still unknown if the Shatabdi Express will be replaced or not.) or Chennai Egmore - Madurai Junction
# Bangalore-Hyderabad (probable)
# Thiruvananthapuram - Kannur/Mangaluru (Mangalore) https://keralakaumudi.com/en/news/news.php?id=742993&u=with-626-curves-in-tracks-vande-bharat-trains-wont-be-able-to-run-at-half-announced-speed-in-kerala-742993
# Coimbatore Junction - SMVT Bengalurubr>
# Indore-Jablapur
# Indore-Jaipur

Some of them may replace Shatabdi Express trains

Seating or sleeper not known

# New Delhi - Patna https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/railways-proposes-delhi-patna-vande-bharat-express-train/articleshow/93742554.cms
# Thiruvananthapuram - Bengaluru
# Ernakulam - Chennai

Sleeper

# New Delhi - Mumbai
# Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus - Firozpur Cantonment railway station, Firozpur Cantonment
# Varanasi - Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus

Export

After the train's inauguration, the Indian Railways reportedly received queries of interest from some countries in Southeast Asia and South America. A Board Member of the Indian Railways stated that the train can be modified according to customer needs. A Railways official stated in November 2022 that the Ministry of Railways was preparing a roadmap to begin exports of Vande Bharat trainsets by 2026. Exports would only begin after 475 trainsets are built for domestic use.

The Indian Railways is constructing a 59 km standard gauge test track between Gudha and Thathana Mithri in the Jodhpur Division to conduct trials runs at speeds of up to 220 km/h. The track is expected to be completed by January 2024. The Railways will use the track to test trainsets that are designed to be exported to countries that use standard gauge railways.

Accidents

In February 2019, the newly launched Vande Bharat Express hit a stray bull near Etawah in Uttar Pradesh on its second day of service. The aerodynamic nose of the train which was made of steel with a fibre covering was damaged. A similar cattle run-over was reported on 17 August 2019.

In another incident, the front portion of a Vande Bharat Superfast Express was damaged after it collided with a herd of buffaloes in Gujarat on 6 October 2022 days after the semi-high speed train was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The train was on its way from Mumbai to Gandhinagar and the incident occurred around at 11:00 am between Vatva and Maninagar station, ahead of Ahmedabad.

See also

References

External links

{{Greater Delhi transit

Named passenger trains of India
Higher-speed rail
Express trains in India