CHENNAI: The Southern Railway has started building dedicated pit lines at the Basin Bridge coaching depot for the maintenance of Vande Bharat (VB) trains. The six-rake facility is being developed at a cost of Rs 19 crore.Highly-placed sources from the Railways said 75 VB trains are to be introduced across India by August 15 next year. “Before that, a Chennai-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express is likely to be launched. A feasibility study has been conducted,” said an official.
The third rake of VB, which was recently rolled out by the ICF, is undergoing trials and is expected to be put into service by November or December between Ahmedabad and Mumbai. The fourth is in its final stage of commissioning at ICF, and is likely to be ready in two months.
“Several routes, including Chennai-Bengaluru, are being considered for operating the fourth rake. The Railway Board is yet to take a decision,” said an official, adding that if it is introduced, the Shatabdi Express will be replaced with VB.
At present, two rakes of VB trains manufactured by ICF are being operated on the New Delhi-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra and New Delhi-Varanasi sections. The rakes are maintained at the Shakurbasti coach depot in New Delhi under the Northern Railway.
As per official documents, the Railways is planning to launch 102 VB trains, of which 13 rakes are earmarked for maintenance at Chennai (six), Coimbatore (three), Tiruchy (two), and Tiruvananthapuram (two) divisions.“Work is on to upgrade tracks in the Chennai-Jolarpettai section to run trains at 130 kmph. This includes closing level crossing gates, and building subways and rail over bridges,” said an official.
Chennai-B’luru services to be launched soon?
Sources said that before Aug 15, a Chennai-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express is likely to be launched. The route is being considered for operating the fourth rake