NEW DELHI: Amid the growing success of the three variants of Vande Bharat trains, including the Sleeper version launched on Saturday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Indian Railways has geared up to bring the Vande Bharat 4.0 version trains over the next 18 months.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently said that the Modi government is committed to connecting every city with Vande Bharat services, with plans to introduce 800 trains by 2030 and more than 4,500 trains of the latest generation by 2047 - the year India aims to become a developed nation and a global power.
After achieving the desired results with the Vande Bharat 3.0 version and other initial versions-featuring enhanced performance parameters such as faster acceleration from 0 to 100 kmph in about 52 seconds and improved ride quality, Indian Railways is now working towards the next evolution through the Vande Bharat 4.0 version of express trains, targeted for introduction by 2027.
The upcoming Vande Bharat 4.0 version is envisaed to incorporate Kavach 5.0, the next evolution of India’s indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection system, forming a core part of its advanced safety and technology framework.
With railway mobility emerging as a central pillar of national development as India advances towards its vision of becoming a developed nation by 2047, Indian Railways has revolutionised passenger services through the introduction of the Vande Bharat class of fast trains. This flagship initiative provides faster, safer, more reliable and passenger-centric rail travel across the country.
According to an official source who shared it on Saturday, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the country’s first Vande Bharat Sleeper Express trains to run between Assam and West Bengal, the upcoming Vande Bharat Express 4.0 version will match global standards. The Vande Bharat 4.0 train sets will be quipped with the Kavach (anti-collision device) 5.0 version as part of their advanced safety and technology framework while serving the nation.
“Vande Bharat 4.0 is the upcoming next-generation model of the Vande Bharat platform, aimed at setting higher global benchmark in performance, passangers comfort and overall build quality”, remarked a railway official.