India's first indigenous semi-high-speed train Vande Bharat Express achieved a speed of more than 180 kilometres per hour during its latest test run on Friday. Interestingly, the Vande Bharat train is also claimed to be completely manufactured in India.
Union Railway Minister Ashwani Vaishnaw, in a Twitter post, said "#VandeBharat-2 speed trial started between Kota-Nagda section at 120/130/150 & 180 Kmph.”
Vande Bharat trains are powered through a self-propelled engine and don’t have a separate engine. It also has automatic doors and air-conditioned chair car coaches.
Vaishnav, in another tweet, also shared a one-minute-long video clip in which a phone running a speedometer app shows the locomotive-less train running at speeds of 180-183 Kmph.
The railway minister in his tweet said, ”Superior ride quality," the minister wrote. "Look at the glass.”
This trail of Vande Bharat express took place between Rajasthan’s Kota and Madhya Pradesh’s Nagda section at various speed levels. During this time, the train’s speed touched the speed of 180 kmph at several places.
The government, in the 2022 Union Budget, outlined its plan to introduce around 400 Vande Bharat trains over the next three years. The first Vande Bharat Express train, which was launched in February 2019, began its services on the New Delhi to Varanasi route.
The second route is Delhi to Vaishno Devi in Jammu. The government also plans to eventually operate these trains across the country.
These Vande Bharat trains come with a host of features such as including onboard Wi-Fi, GPS-based audio-visual passenger information and bio-vacuum toilets.
"The Vande Bharat Express has travel classes like Shatabdi Train but with better facilities," the government said. "It aims to provide a totally new travel experience to passengers."