In another move by the railways, Rajasthan will today get its first Vande Bharat Express, which will be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PM Modi will inaugurate the train via video conferencing today. However, the regular services for commuters will start on April 13.The new Vande Bharat will ply between Ajmer and Delhi Cantt railway stations. It will operate with Jaipur, Alwar and Gurgaon as its stops. The services for the commuters will start on April 13. The train will cover the distance in just 5 hours and 15 minutes, according to the schedule shared by the official department.Ajmer-Delhi, the first semi-high-speed passenger train in Rajasthan to operate on high-rise overhead electric (OHE) lines will be the Cantt Vande Bharat. The Shatabdi Express, which travels the same distance in 6 hours and 15 minutes, is now the fastest train. The new Vande Bharat will be one hour fastest train that will ply on the same route. The train will also improve the connectivity between major tourist destinations in Rajasthan. Pushkar and Ajmer Sharif Dargah are among the major tourist places in Rajasthan. The enhanced connectivity will also boost tourism and socio-economic development in the state.According to the website of Indian Railways, the train is scheduled to run on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. It will cost Rs 1,250 for the Chair car and Rs 2,270 for the Executive Chair car for the passengers to travel.In the series of launches of Vande Bharat, PM Narendra Modi earlier on April 8 flagged off the Chennai-Coimbatore Vande Bharat Express train in Chennai. Another was in Secunderabad-Tirupati Vande Bharat Express on the same day, which was rolled out from Secunderabad railway station in Telangana. Earlier, in January also, Vande Bharat was flagged off between Secunderabad and Vishakhapatnam.This launch came a week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off Vande Bharat on the Bhopal-Delhi route.An indigenously produced, semi-high-speed, self-propelled train set is called the Vande Bharat Express. Modern passenger facilities on board the train makes for a speedier, more comfortable, and more convenient ride for travellers.Sleeper class in Vande Bharat is to come soonA consortium led by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has bagged an order worth Rs 9,600 crore. The company has signed a deal in which they will supply 80 sleeper coaches for Vande Bharat to Indian Railways over six years. The demand for sleeper class coaches raised keeping the long routes in mind like Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howarh.Currently, the train only has chair car and executive chairs car classes in Vande Bharat trains. According to the regulations, the BHEL-led consortium has been awarded an order for 80 Vande Bharat trains in the mega tender of the Indian Railways. Each train will cost Rs 120 crore and during the course of 72 months, BHEL will provide 80 trains.The filing states that an order for a 35-year AMC (Annual Maintenance Contract) has also been filed. Technology Partner is the name of the consortium that BHEL and Titagarh Wagons Ltd make up. The consortium would also furnish, modernise, run, and maintain the unique space allocated in the manufacturing facility at ICF Chennai and two depots designated by the Indian Railways, according to the application.Vande Bharat Current train routesNew Delhi- VaranasiNew Delhi- Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, J&KGandhinagar-MumbaiNew Delhi- Amb Andaura in HimachalChennai-MysuruNagpur-BilaspurHowrah-New JalpaiguriSecunderabad-VishakhapatnamMumbai-ShirdiHazrat Nizamuddin Delhi- Bhopals Rani Kamlapati stationSecunderabad-TirupatiChennai-CoimbatoreDelhi-Ajmer (which will be inaugurated by PM Modi today)The first Vande Bharat Express train was started on February 15, 2019, which is the first semi-high-speed train in India.
