NEW DELHI: A little over a year ahead of the next Parliamentary elections, the Union railway ministry is working overtime to roll out the sets of 75 new semi-high speed Vande Bharat Express trains. The trains will connect the national capital with other prominent rail sections. Since Vande Bharat Express is envisioned by PM Narendra Modi – and a pride project of the Indian Railways - the BJP-led government may vie to leverage the project’s outcomes.
“As a result, the railway ministry is working on a mission mode to rollout at least 75 Vande Bharat trains before the 2024 elections. The manufacturing unit at the integral coach factory (ICF) is working overnight to meet the deadline of August 2023 for rolling out the rakes of 75 new Vande Bharat express trains,” a highly placed source in railway said.
As part of an all-out effort to meet the deadline, decidedly by August 2023, Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw was in Chennai to conduct spot inspection of the ongoing production of Vande Bharat express coaches at the (ICF).
“The production of the Vande Bharat Express coaches are on the fast track,” the minister had tweeted.
Besides, the prominent routes have almost been identified, the source said. “The first two prototypes of Vande Bharat rakes are being readied for commissioning by August 2022 before the final roll-out of 75 new trains,” the source said.
It has also been decided in principle to connect all prominent cities - and regions with it - of the country ahead of elections, as an answer to the criticism of lack of connectivity in many states. “Once state capitals are connected through the Vande Bharat trains, this would be like a dream come true to the people of every state”, remarked a BJP leader.
At present, only the two rakes of Vande Bharat express trains are running on the New Delhi-Katra and the New Delhi-Varanasi routes.