Vande Bharat Express: Come October 19, travel from Chandigarh to Delhi in 3 hours

The inaugural run of Vande Bharat Express train will be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Himachal Pradesh’s Una on Thursday

The travel time between Chandigarh and New Delhi is all set to come down to three hours with the launch of the fourth Vande Bharat Express train on October 19.

Unlike Shatabdi Express, which has multiple halts in Ambala, Kurukshetra, Karnal and Panipat, depending on its morning, afternoon or evening service, the Vande Bharat Express will halt only at Ambala Cantonment between Chandigarh and New Delhi (HT Photo)

The train’s inaugural run will be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Himachal Pradesh’s Una on Thursday.

Railway officials said the semi high-speed train will operate between the national capital and Amb Andaura in Himachal Pradesh with stops in Ambala Cantonment, Chandigarh, Anandpur Sahib and Una.

Except Wednesday, the train, having 16 coaches, will operate six days a week. It will cover a total distance of 412 km between New Delhi and Amb Andaura in five hours and 15 minutes.

“Several changes have been made in the new Vande Bharat trains to make travel safer and reclining seats have been installed on the train to make it more comfortable. It is also equipped with automatic fire sensors. In addition, CCTV cameras have also been installed and on-demand content with Wi-Fi facility is also available,” a statement from the railways read.

Except Wednesday, the train, having 16 coaches, will operate six days a week. (HT)

Only one halt between Chandigarh and Delhi

Unlike passenger-favourite Shatabdi Express, which has multiple halts in Ambala, Kurukshetra, Karnal and Panipat, depending on its morning, afternoon or evening service, the Vande Bharat Express will halt only at Ambala Cantonment between Chandigarh and New Delhi.

Also, while the Shatabdi Express runs on an average speed of 75.08 km per hour, the Vande Bharat Express’ average speed on this route is 78.6 km per hour due to faster acceleration and deceleration.

As result, while the former takes around 3.5 hours with additional stoppages, the Vande Bharat Express will cover the same distance in three hours.

Hari Mohan, senior divisional commercial manager (Sr. DCM), Ambala railway division, said after a special inaugural run between Una and New Delhi on Thursday, the regular service will commence on October 19. “The notification regarding the fare is awaited from the railway board,” he said.

Thanking the Prime Minister for the service, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that the reduction in travel time between the national capital and the state capital will greatly benefit the people of Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.

The train on its inaugural run will have stoppages at Chandigarh at 12 pm and at Ambala Cantonment at 12.50 pm. Khattar, along with his cabinet, will join the journey from Chandigarh to Ambala.