The country’s first bullet train will run on 15 August 2027. The first Vande Bharat Sleeper will operate on the Kolkata-Guwahati route on 18/19 January. This 16-coach AC train is equipped with modern ‘Kavach’ security system.
New Delhi: The country’s first bullet train will run on 15 August 2027. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off this train on Independence Day. Giving information about this, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said, ‘In the total project of 508 km, the section between Surat and Bilimora (50 km) in Gujarat will start first. Subsequently, Vapi-Surat (100 km), Vapi-Ahmedabad (300-320 km) and Thane-Ahmedabad (450-490 km) routes will be completed. The entire route between Ahmedabad-Mumbai will start by 2029.
target of 2022
The foundation of this project worth Rs 1.08 lakh crore was laid in 2017 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the then Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe. It was to start in 2022, the 75th year of independence. But due to various delays, including Covid, it has been postponed to 2027.
Delay in land acquisition, political tussle
Land acquisition for this project, which started in 2017, gained momentum in Gujarat, but due to the fall of the NDA government in Maharashtra and the subsequent coming of Uddhav Thackeray’s Mahavikas Aghadi government, the project got hugely delayed. In 2021-22, the Uddhav government was almost at the stage of canceling this project. Apart from this, the farmers’ protest in Maharashtra and the demonstrations of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena also made the pace of the project like a tortoise.
Country’s first Vande Sleeper inaugurated on 18/19 January
New Delhi: The country’s much-awaited Vande Bharat sleeper train is finally ready to hit the tracks. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav has announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the first Vande Bharat sleeper train between Kolkata and Guwahati on January 18 or 19. Assembly elections are to be held in West Bengal and Assam this year, due to which both the states have received this gift.
What will the train be like?
Vande Sleeper will have 16 fully air-conditioned coaches. It will have 11 3-tier AC (611 seats), 4 AC 2-tier (188 seats) and 1 First Class AC (24 seats) coaches. There will be a total of 823 seats. Although the train is capable of running at a speed of 180 km/hr, it will run only at 120/130 km/hr between the two cities.
ticket fare
The fare from Guwahati to Kolkata will be Rs 2300 for AC 3-tier, Rs 3000 for 2-tier and Rs 3600 for first class.
12 trains
The target is to start 8 more within 6 months, and 12 Vande Bharat sleeper trains by the end of the year.
Train Features
Vande Bharat sleeper can run at a speed of 180 km/hr. For a comfortable journey, it includes many modern technologies like cushioned seats that adapt to the body, automatic doors inside and outside the coach to reduce train noise, modern ‘Kavach’ safety system to prevent accidents, pesticide technology and cleanliness system, special cabins for the disabled, CCTV cameras in all coaches, and self-detecting fire extinguishing system.