HYDERABAD: After the launch of the Secunderabad-Vizag Vande Bharat Express train, the Indian Railways is planning to launch three more similar trains connecting Hyderabad with Bengaluru, Pune, and Tirupati soon, officials said.
The additional Vande Bharat Express trains would run between Kacheguda and Bengaluru, Secunderabad and Pune, and Secunderabad and Tirupati. The South Central Railways (SCR) has upgraded its rail network on these routes for the trains to run at a maximum speed of 130 kmph.
Railway officials have been advised to establish at least one major coach depot in Secunderabad, Hyderabad and Vijayawada divisions.The depots will be upgraded for training staff for the upkeep of Vande Bharat trains. The railway divisions were asked to expedite the preparedness for the maintenance of Vande Bharat trains and other related activities.
The Indian Railways plans to run 75 Vande Bharat trains by the end of this year and 400 over the next three years. As of now, Vande Bharat trains have been introduced on various routes, including Nagpur-Bilaspur, Delhi-Varanasi, Gandhinagar-Mumbai, and Chennai-Mysuru.
Senior railway officials said Hyderabad might become one of the major hubs for the 400 new-generation Vande Bharat Express trains.The Vande Bharat Express is designed and manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) at Perambur in Chennai under the flagship Make in India initiative.
Meanwhile, Secunderabad-Vizag Vande Bharat Express, which was launched a few days ago, has evoked a huge response from passengers. The train has been running with 100% occupancy since its launch, officials said
Out of the several trains that are available between Secunderabad and Visakhapatnam, Vande Bharat Express is the fastest, covering the distance between the two cities within eight-and-a-half hours.