New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday flagged off the Gandhinagar-Mumbai Central Vande Bharat Express train at Gandhinagar in Gujarat. He also inaugurated Phase I of the Ahmedabad Metro rail project.


PM Modi who is on a two-day visit to Gujarat flagged off the third Vande Bharat train in the country, the other two being run between New Delhi - Varanasi and New Delhi - Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra.


He traveled onboard the Vande Bharat Express train from Gandhinagar to Ahmedabad where he inaugurated Phase I of the Ahmedabad Metro rail project.






PM Narendra Modi, accompanied by CM Bhupendra Patel, also traveled on Ahmedabad metro rail from Kalupur station to Doordarshan Kendra station.


Gandhinagar-Mumbai Central Vande Bharat Express


The new Vande Bharat Express train will run between Gandhinagar and Mumbai. The train will connect the state capitals of Gujarat and Maharashtra and will run 6 days a week, except Sunday.


The Vande Bharat train 20901, from Mumbai Central will depart at 6.10 am to reach Gandhinagar at 12.30pm, officials said adding that the return train- 20902 to Mumbai will depart Gandhinagar Capital station at 2.05pm to reach Mumbai Central at 8.35pm, as reported by the news agency ANI.


Officials also said that the train has a seating capacity of 1,128 passengers. It has 16 coaches and will halt at three stations: Surat, Vadodara, and Ahmedabad before reaching Gandhinagar Capital station.


The new Vande Bharat trains would have improved features including reclining seats, automatic fire sensors, CCTV cameras, on-demand content with wifi Facility, three-hour battery backup and GPS systems to make travelling safer and more comfortable, ANI reported.


The Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai has set a target of manufacturing 75 Vande Bharat trains by August 2023. The trains also have a photocatalytic ultraviolet air purification system in the roof-mounted package unit (RMPU) for air purification.


As recommended by Central Scientific Instruments Organisation (CSIO), Chandigarh, this system is designed and installed on both ends of RMPU to filter and clean the air free from germs, bacteria, viruses, etc. coming through fresh air and return air.


The weight of the train has been reduced by 38 tonnes to 392 tonnes and it can continue functioning even with two feet of flood waters on the tracks. These are made of stainless steel.


There are automatic gates operated by the pilot. The windows are wide, there is more space for the luggage. The toilet installed will be advanced. Most of the parts of the trains are "Made in India" except for a few small parts.


Vande Bharat Express is a new-age train redefining passenger travelling in India. "The Vande Bharat Express offers a myriad of superior amenities which will provide passengers with aircraft like travelling experience and advanced state-of-the-art safety features including Kavach technology - an indigenously developed Train Collision Avoidance System," ANI quoted CPRO of Western Railway zone, Sumit Thakur as saying.


(With ANI Inputs)