Vande Bharat Express

The Vande Bharat Express, previously known as Train 18,[1] is a semi-high-speed, electric multiple unit train[2] operated by the Indian Railways on 4 routes as of October 2022. It was designed and manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) at Perambur, Chennai under the Make in India initiative. Construction of the first train took 18 months.[1] The unit cost of the first train was estimated at ₹100 crore (equivalent to ₹114 crore or US$14 million in 2020);[3] and of the first set of second-generation trains at ₹115 crore (US$14 million).[4] The train was launched on 15 February 2019,[5] by which point a second unit was expected to have been produced and readied for service.[6] The service was named 'Vande Bharat Express' on 27 January 2019.[1]

Vande Bharat Express
Vande Bharat Express on its inaugural run
Overview
Service typeHigher-speed rail
StatusActive
LocaleIndia
PredecessorShatabdi Express
First service15 February 2019 (2019-02-15)
Current operator(s)Indian Railways
Websiteindianrail.gov.in
Route
Line(s) used4
On-board services
Class(es)AC Chair (Economy Class)
Executive Chair (Premium Class)
Seating arrangements
  • Airline style
  • Rotatable seats
Catering facilitiesOn-board catering
Observation facilitiesLarge windows in all carriages
Entertainment facilities
Baggage facilitiesOverhead racks
Other facilities
Technical
Rolling stockVande Bharat Express (Trainset)
Track gaugeIndian gauge
1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge
Electrification25 kV 50 Hz AC Overhead line
Operating speed
  • 130 km/h (81 mph) (Present service speed)
  • 160 km/h (99 mph) (Certified for commercial run; if track infrastructure permits)
  • 180 km/h (110 mph) (Tested speed)
Average length384 metres (1,260 ft) (16 coaches)
Track owner(s)Indian Railways

Vande Bharat Express has a maximum commercial speed of 160 km/h.[7][8] It exceeded 180 km/h during testing,[9][10] but its tracks are not capable of supporting such high speeds; thus the train is operated at a maximum speed of 130 km/h (81 mph).[11] In this context, it can be said that the Gatimaan Express is the fastest train of India as per its maximum permissible speed of 160 km/h (99 mph) during the Tughlakabad to Agra part of its route;[12] and that the Habibganj–New Delhi Shatabdi Express is the second fastest train of India as per its maximum permissible speed of 150 kmph during the Tughlakabad to Agra Cant part of its route.

As per two Facebook posts on a page with verified tags to inform that the page belongs to Western Railway on 30 September 2022: The first and second versions achieve 0-100 mph (0-160 Kmph) in 145 sec and 129 secs respectively. The second version achieves 0-100 Kmph in just 52 seconds. The Designated Residual Acceleration of the first version is 0.05 m/s2, and of the second version is 0.11 m/s2.

History

Background

India had long since planned to introduce a high-speed rail network. Safety and cost were the primary concerns for the Indian railways.[13] Indian Railways aimed at increasing its maximum speed of 85 km/h (53 mph) to 150 km/h (93 mph).[13]

Indian Railways went on to achieve speeds of 99 mph by the mid-2010s after the introduction of Gatimaan Express in 2016, which is still the fastest operating train to date.[14] The next logical step for Indian Railways was to build a modern higher-speed rail. When the Indian railways had floated a tender in June 2015, they found none of the bids to be viable and hence decided to move ahead to build it completely in India. In early 2017, it was planned that the indigenous engine-less (EMU) semi-high-speed train, with modern facilities onboard, would run at a speed of 160 km/h (99 mph). Two new train sets were announced to be manufactured in ICF and were named 'Train-2018' since the manufacturing of these semi-high-speed services were targeted for completion in the year 2018.[15][16]

Manufacturing first set

The manufacturing of 'Train-2018' was completed in October 2018. It was planned to replace the then-existing 30-year-old Shatabdi Express, which takes 15% more time to complete the same journey. During test runs, the train achieved an operational speed of 180 km/h and India conducted a trial run at this speed for the first time by a train with LHB coaches in 2000 (as per many speed certificates of LHB coach trains on RDSO website ) but the Vande Bharat Express has higher acceleration.

Inauguration

After four years of planning, manufacturing, and testing, Train 18 was inaugurated on 15 February 2019 and was ready to begin service from New Delhi to Varanasi.[17] It was soon renamed to 'Vande Bharat Express' by Railway minister.[1]

After the success of the New Delhi–Varanasi route and the later New Delhi–Katra route, the Railway Board approved the production of 45 new Vande Bharat train sets by 2022.[18] Production was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic (which caused a 12.5% loss in annual production capacity) and other administrative issues.[19] Despite this, the Union minister decided to move ahead with the schedule and asked the officials to build 10 trains by August 2022.[20]

Present day

In January 2021, Indian Railways awarded the contract for the supply of propulsion and control equipment of 44 rakes to Medha Servo Drives, based at Hyderabad.[21] As of November 2021, it was reported that shells of at least five new sets are in the final stages of completion, with the electronics to be fitted within the next couple of months. ICF was hopeful to launch at least one rake by March 2022 keeping the previous deadline in mind.[22] In 2022 Union Budget, the government announced to manufacture 400 more Vande Bharat Express during the next three years.[23]

Design
The interior of the Vande Bharat express
Airline style seating arrangement in Vande Bharat Express

The Vande Bharat Express's exterior appearance consists of aerodynamic design, narrowing at each end of the train which is designed to combat air resistance.[24] It has a driver cabin at each end, allowing for faster turnaround at terminating stations.[25] The train has 16 passenger cars, with a seating capacity of 1,128 passengers.[26] Two of the center compartments are first class compartments that seat 52 each, with the rest being coach compartments seating 78 each.[27]

The chassis of a coach is 23 meters long, and the frame of the train is made entirely of stainless steel. The assembly of the train takes 8 weeks. About 80-85% of the components that go into the making of Vande Bharat are indigenous. Among the key imported components are the wheels and electronic parts such as chips.[28]

Alternate coaches are motorised to ensure even distribution of power and to help in quicker acceleration and deceleration. The gangways are interconnected and fully sealed to allow better mobility between coaches and to reduce noise respectively. The train features GPIS-based passenger information system, bio-vacuum toilets, and rotational seats which can be aligned in the direction of travel (only in executive class).[29]

The train's seats, braking system, doors, and transformers are the only elements of the train to be outsourced,[30] with plans to make them domestically on the production of the next unit.[31] Train 18 employs a regenerative braking system.[32]

Indian Railways and ICF were also planning the development of Train 20, another semi-high-speed train that was supposed to replace the Rajdhani Express. This new train was planned to have an Aluminium body with sleeper coaches.[33] Indian Railways also had planned to order 40 train sets of Train 18 by 2022, which would include modified cabin crash guard made out of aluminium along with a lithium-ion battery set.[34][35]

Second version

ICF is set to build an upgraded version of these trains under the government's plan to build 75 new trains by August 2023.[36] As of October 2022, four of these have been built, and about half a dozen are under production at ICF. Sudhanshu Mani, the former ICF GM during whose tenure Vande Bharat Express (then known as Train 18) was conceptualised and executed, said, “Now that ICF has already developed four [Vande Bharat] trains and have got a hang of the process, they can easily roll out three-four trains per month and around 40 by 15 August next year, which according to me is a good number.”[28]

In addition to the previous facilities, the second version of this train will include upgraded amenities, seating, security and surveillance systems and features designed for emergencies. When it comes to safety features, the new rakes will be equipped with four emergency windows, disaster lights in all coaches in the event of the light system's failure, fire survival cables inside of door circuits, availability of ventilation for three hours in case of Air Conditioner's power failure and emergency push buttons will also be increased to four per coach.[37][38]

The new coaches are also set to be equipped with a centralised Coach Monitoring System for all types of electricity, climate control and other vital systems of the train. To address the seat reclining issues of the previous version, the new rakes will be equipped with a push-back arrangement for smooth reclining. An official added that the new coaches will be provided with a bacteria-free air conditioning system and higher flood protection of underframe equipment to ensure reliability during monsoons.[37][38]

Trial runs

The train's first trial run occurred on 29 October 2018 in Chennai,[25] focusing on crew orientation and testing the train's brakes,[39] with further testing scheduled to be done in Delhi on 7 November and later in Rajasthan.[31] An Indian Railways official reported that "some fuses went off" during the trial in Chennai, but that the issue was minor and quickly fixed.[40] The train ended up leaving for Delhi later than expected, on 11 November, and arrived on 13 November.[40] Testing was set to commence along a section of track between Bareilly and Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh on 17 November,[41] but the location was subsequently changed to the stretch of rail between Moradabad and Rampur due to unspecified issues with the initial section of track.[42] The Moradabad–Rampur testing occurred at low speeds ranging from 30–60 km/h (19–37 mph).[43] After the lower-speed testing, the train was moved to a section of track between Kota and Sawai Madhopur to be tested at operating speed.[41] A team put together by India's Research Design and Standards Organisation will supervise the testing and give the go-ahead for the final speed test.[44]

During its trials, Train 18 reached speeds of 180 km/h (110 mph), the highest speed any train in India has reached in the trials but the due to speed limit of railway track of routes which used by Vande Bharat Express, the actual top operating speed is restricted to 130 km/h (81 mph).[45] The train is capable of peak speed of up to 200 km/h (120 mph).[10]

On 20 December 2018, one of the train's windows was smashed by a thrown stone and the glass was shattered during its trial run from Delhi to Agra. The ICF's general manager, Sudhanshu Mani tweeted that a Vandal pelted a stone which broke the glass and hoped to nab him soon.[46][47][48][49]

Inauguration
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagging off the first "Vande Bharat Express" at New Delhi railway station on 15 February 2019.

The train flagged off for an inaugural run by Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, on 15 February 2019,[5] with its commercial run started from 17 February 2019 onwards.

It will be running on the Delhi–Varanasi route,[27] via Kanpur and Prayagraj, connecting the holy city of Varanasi to the Capital city, reducing travel time along the route by 15%.[2] The train's regenerative brakes are also expected to allow a 30% savings in electricity costs as compared to its predecessor.[50] At an operating speed of 160 kilometres per hour (99 mph), it will outpace the Shatabdi Express by 30 kilometres per hour (19 mph).[27] Although the trainset has been tested for speeds up to 180 km/h, operational speed has been capped at 130 km/h as an internal report by Indian Railways indicated that just 0.3% of the country's track is capable of supporting speeds of that magnitude.[51] Every other car on the train is motorised.[25] The 8-hour journey from New Delhi to Varanasi station has the Chair Car CC Class fare of ₹1,440.00 and covers the total distance of about 762 kilometers.[52]

Services

In service
No. Train Name Version Train No. Frequency Distance Speed (km/h) Inauguration Major Halts Only
Maximum permissible speed Average speed
1 New Delhi - Varanasi Vande Bharat Express 1st generation 22435/22436 Except Monday and Thursday 759 km (472 mi) 130 km/h (81 mph) 95 km/h (59 mph) [53] 15 February 2019 Kanpur Central, Prayagraj Junction (Allahabad Jn)
2 New Delhi - Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Vande Bharat Express 1st generation 22439/22440 Except Tuesday 655 km (407 mi) 130 km/h (81 mph) 82 km/h (51 mph) [54] 3 October 2019 Ludhiana, Jammu Tawi
3 Mumbai Central - Gandhinagar Capital Vande Bharat Express 2nd generation[55] 20901/20902 Except Sunday 522 km (324 mi) 130 km/h (81 mph) 96 km/h (60 mph) [56] 30 September 2022 Vapi, Surat, Vadodara Junction, Ahmedabad Junction
4 New Delhi - Amb Andaura Vande Bharat Express 2nd generation 22448/22447 Except Friday 412 km (256 mi) 130 km/h (81 mph) 79 km/h (49 mph) [57] 13 October 2022 Chandigarh Junction
5 Chennai - Mysuru Vande Bharat Express 2nd generation 20607/20608 Except Wednesday 504 km (313 mi) 110 km/h (68 mph) , 76 km/h (47 mph) 11 November 2022 Bengaluru City

Proposed Services
  1. Vande Bharat Express with seater rakes mentioned in the list:
    • Mangaluru - Mysuru - Bengaluru - Tirupathi - Chennai
    • Chennai - Mysuru
    • New Delhi - Amritsar
    • Delhi - Lucknow
    • Howrah - Ranchi
    • Mumbai CSMT - Pune
    • Delhi - Bhopal (Rani Kamalapati Railway Station)
    • Bengaluru (Byappanahalli) - Coimbatore - Madurai - Kanyakumari
    • Howrah - Puri
    • Ernakulam - Bengaluru
    • Pune - Bengaluru
    • Secunderabad - Tirupathi - Bengaluru
    • Chennai - Kanyakumari
    • Jaipur - Jodhpur
    • Hubball (Hubli) - Bangalore

Some of these are expected to replace the existing Shatabdi Express train services.

  1. Mumbai CSMT - Firozpur Cantonment route with sleeper rake. 1,928 km (1,198 mi)[58]

Export

After the train's inauguration, the Indian Railways has reportedly received queries of interest from some countries in South-East Asia.[59] A Board Member of the Indian Railways stated that the train can be modified according to customer needs.[60][61] He also claimed that “On an average, around the world a coach similar to that in Train 18 costs around Rs 24-25 crore. In India, we are making it at approximately Rs 6 crore.", although he did not provide any actual examples or details.

Accidents

In February 2019, the newly launched Vande Bharat Express hit a stray bull near Etawah in Uttar Pradesh on its second day of service. The aerodynamic nose of the train which was made of steel with a fibre covering was damaged.[62][63] A similar cattle run-over was reported on 17 August 2019.[64]

In another incident, the front portion of a Vande Bharat Superfast Express was damaged after it collided with a herd of buffaloes in Gujarat on 6 October 2022 days after the semi-high speed train was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.[65] The train was on its way from Mumbai to Gandhinagar and the incident occurred around at 11:00 am between Vatva and Maninagar station, ahead of Ahmedabad.

See also
  • Semi-high-speed rail in India
  • Shatabdi Express
  • Rajdhani Express
  • Gatimaan Express
  • Humsafar Express
  • Antyodaya Express
  • Uday Express
  • Tejas Express
  • Mahamana Express
  • Train 20
  • E5 Series Shinkansen

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