The railway officials on Saturday confirmed that the new Vande Bharat Express, India's indigenously developed semi-high speed train, will be saffron in colour instead of white and blue. According to Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, the new colour of the train was inspired by Indian tricolour.
According to officials, a total of 25 rakes of Vande Bharat Express are operational on their designated routes while two rakes are reserved. The 28th rake, of which the colour is being changed on a “trial basis”, is currently stationed at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, where Vande Bharat trains are manufactured.
Vaishnaw, who visited the ICF on Saturday, told reporters that 25 improvements have been done in the new trains.
“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," he said.
On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off two new and upgraded versions of Vande Bharat Express trains at Gorakhpur Station in Uttar Pradesh. These trains are running between Gorakhpur-Lucknow via Ayodhya and Jodhpur- Ahmedabad (Sabarmati).
Now, there are total 50 Vande Bharat routes operational in the Country, said a statement issued by the railways.
“Vande Bharat Express trains offer a myriad of superior amenities which will provide passengers with world class comfortable travelling experience and advanced state-of-the-art safety features including KAVACH technology,” the statement said, adding that each train has been provided with bogies having fully suspended traction motors for 160 kmph operational speed.
The advanced state-of-the-art suspension system ensures smooth and safe journey and enhanced riding comfort for passengers, it said.
The first Vande Bharat Express was flagged off on February 15, 2019, by the Prime Minister, running between New Delhi and Varanasi.
