Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw visited the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Tamil Nadu's Chennai on Saturday, where the Vande Bharat express trains are manufactured. During his visit, accompanied by ICF officials, he assessed the production of these latest high-speed trains and explored the extensive campus.
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In a video shared by news agency ANI, the railway minister was seen examining the seats inside the Vande Bharat train. He also visited the loco pilot zone and inspected the area. The video also shows a new Vande Bharat train in a unique grey-saffron color. Following his inspection, Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the 28th rake of the indigenous train features a new color scheme that draws “inspiration from the Indian Tricolor”.
“This is a concept of Make In India, (which means) designed in India, by our own engineers, and technicians. So whatever feedback we are receiving from the field units, regarding ACs, toilets, etc., during the operation of Vande Bharat, all those improvements are being used for making changes in the design,” Vaishnaw said.
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“A new safety feature, 'anti climbers', or anti-climbing devices, on which we are working, were also reviewed today. These will be standard features in all the Vande Bharat and other trains,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}“A new safety feature, 'anti climbers', or anti-climbing devices, on which we are working, were also reviewed today. These will be standard features in all the Vande Bharat and other trains,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}Earlier in the day, Vaishnaw unveiled a special train that will operate on heritage routes throughout the country. He inspected a steam locomotive train that had been modified at Dr MGR Central Railway Station and mentioned that more of these trains would be introduced on heritage routes nationwide in the coming months.
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Additionally, Vaishnaw held a review meeting with senior officials of Southern Railway at its headquarters in Chennai. The meeting covered various topics such as safety measures, progress on infrastructure and station redevelopment projects, speed enhancements, and train schedules.
ICF introduced first Vande Bharat during 2018-19
ICF introduced the first semi-high-speed train in India, commonly known as the “Vande Bharat Express”, during the year 2018-19. It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, marking its journey from New Delhi to Varanasi.
In the second week of October 2022, the ICF achieved a remarkable milestone. Since its establishment in 1955, the factory has produced over 70,000 coaches, making it the leading manufacturer of passenger coaches worldwide.
Latest Vande Bharat flagged off in UP
During his visit to Gorakhpur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated two Vande Bharat Express trains in Uttar Pradesh. The Gorakhpur-Lucknow Vande Bharat Express will connect the cities of Gorakhpur and Lucknow, covering a distance of 302 km in under four hours via Ayodhya junction. The regular service for this train will begin on Sunday.
The Jodhpur-Sabarmati Vande Bharat Express will operate between Jodhpur in Rajasthan and Ahmedabad in Gujarat, with stops at Pali, Abu Road, Palanpur, and Mehsana along the route.
Prior to this, Prime Minister Modi flagged off five Vande Bharat Express trains from Bhopal's Rani Kamlapati Railway Station. These include the Rani Kamalapati (Bhopal)-Jabalpur Vande Bharat Express, Khajuraho-Bhopal-Indore Vande Bharat Express, Madgaon (Goa)-Mumbai Vande Bharat Express, Dharwad-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express, and Hatia-Patna Vande Bharat Express.
(With ANI, PTI inputs)