The Vande Bharat Express has emerged as India’s most favorite train in short span of time. But did you know that the semi high-speed train was originally conceived as Train 18, later renamed to Train 20, and ultimately became the Vande Bharat Express upon its launch on February 15, 2019.
What was Train 18?
The popular train we know today as Vande Bharat Express was originally conceived as Train 18 in 2017. Train 18 was so named because the Indian Railways had initially planned to launch it in 2018.
The Narendra Modi government aimed to build a passenger train that was faster and more advanced than the Shatabdi and Rajdhani Express. Train 18 was India’s first engineless train completely based on indigenous technology, designed and manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai.
How Train 18 became Vande Bharat?
After completion of trial runs, Train 18 was ready for commercial launch, and was renamed as Vande Bharat Express to reflect its Indianness. The Vande Bharat Express train was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 15, 2019, between New Delhi and Varanasi, and embarked on its first commercial journey on February 17 that year.
What is Train 20?
Train 20 is upgraded version Train 18 or Vande Bharat, which will have sleeper coaches designed for longer journeys. Commonly known as the Vande Bharat sleeper train, Train 20 will have 16 coaches, which the railways plans to increase to 24 in the near future, according to officials.
The Vande Bharat sleeper train will have a capacity of 823 passengers, with 67 sleeper berths, and all 16 coaches will be air-conditioned, they said.
Why Vande Bharat Express train is so popular?
The semi-high speed medium-distance Vande Bharat Express trains have revolutionized train travel in India since their commercial launch on February 15, 2019. The state-of-the-art Vande Bharat Express trains provide unrivalled comfort and security to travelers, connecting various busy hubs in the country in a seamless manner.
The Vande Bharat Express train, which has an operational speed of up to 130 km per hour, is designed for comfort and efficiency, and boasts modern amenities like automatic sliding doors and CCTV cameras for added security.