Bengaluru: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday flagged off three Vande Bharat Express trains at KSR Railway Station in Bengaluru to launch train services. These include trains from Bengaluru to Belgaum, Amritsar to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra and Nagpur (Ajni) to Pune. Along with this, he inaugurated the Yellow Line of Bengaluru Metro.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated several major infrastructure and transport projects in Bengaluru on a one-day visit to Karnataka. Earlier, PM Modi flagged off three new Bharat trains for four states. The routes on which these trains will run include the Bengaluru-Belgaum service and the virtual inauguration of the Amritsar-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra and Nagpur (Ajni)-Pune routes. These trains are expected to significantly improve connectivity in different parts of the country. This will further strengthen India’s high-speed rail network.
PM Modi inaugurated the Yellow Line of Bengaluru Metro
PM Modi inaugurated the much-awaited Yellow Line of Namma Metro. It extends from Ragigudda (RV Road) to Electronic City. The length of the Yellow Line from RV Road (Ragigudda) to Bommasandra under the Bengaluru Metro Phase-2 project is more than 19 km. It has 16 stations. It has cost around Rs 7160 crore.
Know the full details of the three Vande Bharat trains
PM Modi on Sunday flagged off three Vande Bharat trains KSR Bengaluru-Belagavi Vande Bharat Express, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra-Amritsar Vande Bharat Express and Nagpur (Ajni)-Pune Vande Bharat Express. These newly introduced trains will help boost tourism and economic activities in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.
The introduction of Vande Bharat train services will greatly benefit a large population of travellers wishing to travel between these cities and enroute towns for work, business, studies and tourism. It will be beneficial for businessmen, students, employees travelling on regular and special trips and will also boost tourism besides enhancing opportunities for trade and commerce.
Vande Bharat trains
Karnataka will now have 11 (22 services).
The number of Vande Bharat trains in Jammu and Kashmir will increase to 5 (10 services). Punjab will now have a total of 5 Vande Bharat trains (10 services).
With the introduction of Ajni-Pune Vande Bharat train service in Maharashtra, the number of Vande Bharat trains in the state will increase to 12 (24 services).
Total trains
Currently 144 Vande Bharat trains are being operated across the country. With the addition of these three trains, the number of Vande Bharat trains across the country will increase to 150.
Number of passengers
More than 6.3 crore people have traveled by Vande Bharat trains.
Main halts
KSR Bengaluru-Belagavi Vande Bharat Express, halts at Dharwad, Hubli, Haveri, Davanagere, Tumkur and Yeshwantpur.
Nagpur (Ajni)-Pune Vande Bharat Express, halts at Wardha, Badnera, Shegaon, Akola, Bhusaval, Jalgaon, Manmad, Kopargaon, Ahilyanagar, Daund Chord Line.
Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra-Amritsar Vande Bharat Express, halts at Jammu Tawi, Pathankot Cantt, Jalandhar City and Beas.
Modern technologies
The semi-high speed Vande Bharat Express is completely indigenous. It is equipped with Kavach system. This train also has facilities like foldable snack table, mobile charging port, comfortable seats, modern toilets and infotainment. Each coach is fitted with GPS based real-time tracking system. Through this, passengers get information about the station, speed and location every moment.
Passenger amenities include air conditioning system in all coaches, automatic temperature control, facility to automatically adjust the temperature based on the number of passengers, seats with economical design for long distance travel, LED and ambient lighting in all coaches, automatic sliding doors in all coaches and large panoramic windows for panoramic views.
Safety features
• Fire safety: Fire detection and extinguishing systems
• CCTV surveillance: Monitoring with cameras throughout the train
• Emergency communication: Intercom system in each coach
• Braking system: Braking that saves up to 30 percent energy
• Dual suspension system: Ensures comfort even at high speed
Ashwini Vaishnav took stock on Saturday
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav took an inspection tour of the Vande Bharat Express on Saturday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag it off on Sunday. Preparations were also completed at the KSR railway station ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit.
Speaking to ANI, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that it is a matter of great joy that the long pending demand of Vande Bharat between Belgaum and Bengaluru will be flagged off by PM Modi today. It will provide great connectivity to North Karnataka and Bengaluru which is the IT capital of the country.
Two more trains will be flagged off. One which connects Katra Vaishno Devi to Amritsar. This is a very important train as there is a lot of movement of pilgrims coming from one place to another. The third one is between Nagpur and Pune.
