On 10 August, Indian Railways is poised to launch three new Vande Bharat trains. Prime Minister Modi will virtually flag off the services from Bengaluru.
The new trains will operate on three separate routes: Bengaluru-Belagavi, Amritsar-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, and Pune-Ajni. The total number of Vande Bharat trains in the country will rise to 150 with these additions. According to CNBC, the new Vande Bharat services will offer high-speed, modern, and comfortable travel across important regional corridors.
1. Belagavi-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express
Train numbers: 26751 Belagavi-KSR Bengaluru / 26752 KSR Bengaluru-Belagavi
Timings: Departs Belagavi at 5:20 am, arriving in Bengaluru at 1:50 pm. The return service departs Bengaluru at 2:20 pm and arrives in Belagavi at 10:40 pm.
Days of operation: Six days a week, excluding Wednesdays.
Halts: Yeshwantpur, Tumakuru, Devanagere, Haveri, Hubballi, and Dharwad.
Region covered: Karnataka.
Fares: ₹1,575 for chair car; ₹2,905 for executive class (both inclusive of catering charges).
2. Amritsar-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Vande Bharat Express
Train numbers: 26406 Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra-Amritsar/26405 Amritsar-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra
Timings: Departs Katra at 6:40 am, reaching Amritsar at 12:20 pm. The return journey departs Amritsar at 4:25 pm and arrives in Katra at 10:00 pm.
Days of operation: Six days a week, excluding Tuesdays.
Halts: Jammu, Pathankot Cantt, Jalandhar City, and Vyas.
Region covered: Jammu and Amritsar.
Fares: Yet to be announced.
3. Pune-Ajni Vande Bharat Express
Train numbers: 26101 Pune-Ajni / 26102 Ajni-Pune
Timings: Departs Ajni at 9:50 am, arriving in Pune at 9:50 pm. From Pune, the train departs at 6:25 am and arrives in Ajni at 6:25 pm.
Days of operation: Six days a week, excluding Mondays.
Halts: Wardha, Badnera, Akola, Bhusawal, Jalgaon, Manmad, Kopargaon, Ahmednagar, and Daund Chord Line.
Region covered: Nagpur and Pune.
Fares: ₹1,500 for classic chair; ₹3,000 for executive chair.
Safety And Control
According to The Daily Jagran, the Vande-Bharat trains are:
Equipped with KAVACH (Train Collision Avoidance System)
Emergency alarm push buttons and talk-back units in all coaches
Improved fire safety systems using aerosol-based detection and suppression
Voice-recorded Driver-Guard communication with crash-hardened memory
Speed And Comfort
Operating speed up to 160 kmph; design speed of 180 kmph
Jerk-free semi-permanent couplers
Better ride comfort with centrally controlled automatic plug doors
Fully sealed and wider gangways
Passenger Amenities
UV-C-based air disinfection system in AC units
Onboard CCTV surveillance
Special lavatories for Divyangjan in driving coaches
Coach Condition Monitoring System (CCMS) with remote diagnostics
