Race On To Meet Vande Bharat Targets

The government has set a target of 475 Vande Bharat trains within the next four years. But how will railways ensure operational issues do not jeopardise passenger interest?

- ASHUTOSH KUMAR

ON FEBRUARY 12, while flagging off two more Vande Bharat express trains, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the train is a reflection of India’s “speed and scale”. Modi dedicated the indigenous high-speed trains between Mumbai-Solapur and Mumbai-Shirdi to the nation, taking the total number of Vande Bharats currently in operation to 10.

This, however, is just the beginning as the government has set lofty goals for the Ministry of Railways. It has to deliver 75 such trains by August 15, as a commemoration of the 75th anniversary of India’s independence.

For the ministry, which has a current capacity of one train per week, both 75 units by August 15 and 400 more trains in the next three years are undoubtedly a daunting task. It is trying to move expeditiously ahead with plans for capacity expansion in its own units and by roping in the private sector. In the process, the entire ecosystem of the bulk indigenous manufacturing of semi-high speed trains offers a ₹22,000 crore procurement opportunity to domestic suppliers, providing a fillip to Make in India and a cushion against the global economic slowdown.

Vande Bharat train is an indigenously designed electric multiple unit, which is not hauled by a locomotive and has a top speed of 180 km per hour. The operational speed is 130 km per hour, and the train has the capacity to accelerate to 100 km per hour in 52 seconds. It is equipped with indigenously developed train collision avoidance system, which enables self-braking in the event of the driver overshooting signals, or when two trains are on a collision course.

Capacity Expansion