Modi to inaugurate Mysuru-Chennai Vande Bharat train today

The semi-high-speed train will cover the 500 km distance between the two cities in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in six hours and 30 minutes

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Friday inaugurate the Mysuru-Chennai Vande Bharat train, the first in south India and the fifth in the country. The semi-high-speed train will cover the 500 km distance between the two cities in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in six hours and 30 minutes.

Modi will flag off the inaugural train at 10:25am at the Bengaluru railway station. The regular train service will commence on Saturday. It will halt in Katpadi and Bengaluru and run at an average speed of around 76 kmph.

The train will run on all days except Wednesdays. “It is going to be the first-ever semi-high-speed train in the south and play a significant role in connecting the two states. Currently, Shatabdi is the fastest train between the two places. The semi-high-speed train will reduce the travel time and enhance comfort for passengers,” said an official.

The railways conducted the trial run of the fifth rake of Vande Bharat Express on Monday from Chennai Central to Mysuru via Bengaluru.

The first Vande Bharat Express New Delhi-Kanpur-Allahabad-Varanasi train was flagged off in February 2019. Last month, the fourth Vande Bharat train was launched between Delhi and Himachal Pradesh’s Una. The third such train was flagged on September 30 from Gandhinagar to Mumbai.

Vande Bharat Express trains also run on Delhi-Varanasi and Delhi-Katra routes. The new version of the train is equipped with advanced technology and improved features like 0 to 100 kmph speed in just 52 seconds.

The trains can run at a maximum speed of up to 180 kmph. They have a lesser weight of 392 tonnes and Wi-Fi on demand. They are also equipped with recliner seats for both chair and executive classes.