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North India’s first Vande Bharat nears roll-out
After years of Chennai-centric production, India’s semi-high-speed train is being built at MCF Rae Bareli; roll-out slated for February.
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For the first time since the Vande Bharat Express was conceived, its coaches are being built outside Chennai - at Uttar Pradesh’s Modern Coach Factory (MCF) in Rae Bareli.
If timelines hold, the train set will roll out by the end of February, what MCF officials termed as the first Vande Bharat train manufactured in North India.
“The Vande Bharat trains running across the country so far were all manufactured at Integral Coach Factory, Chennai. This will be the first Vande Bharat to be built in North India,” said PK Mishra, general manager, MCF, Rae Bareli and Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala.
Introduced in 2018 under the Centre’s Make in India push, the Vande Bharat Express has become the face of India’s modern rail ambitions. Designed for medium to long distances, the train can clock a maximum operational speed of 160 kmph and has been tested up to 180 kmph. With rapid acceleration reaching top speed in just over two minutes it cuts travel time between major cities.
With propulsion equipment mounted beneath the coaches and every alternate coach motorised, the train needs no locomotive. Driving cabs at both ends eliminate the need for reversal at terminals, further boosting efficiency.
RN Tiwari, chief public relations officer, MCF, said the Rae Bareli-built rake will feature a 16-coach chair car configuration with a total seating capacity of 1,128 passengers.
