Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that Indian Railways will soon launch Vande Metro, regional trains that connect two cities, along the lines of the Vande Bharat Express trains. According to a report in Times Now, South Western Railway officials said that Bengaluru would be one of the cities in the country where the Vande Metro will be introduced. The announcement came soon after Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s presentation of the 2023 union budget on February 1.
The Vande Metros, like the Namma Metro, will be rapid transit systems. They will be similar to local trains, but travel a lot faster and cover more distance than the metro, and would be available between towns that are about 100 km apart, like Bengaluru and Tumakuru. They will also be smaller in size compared to Vande Bharat trains. While Vande Bharat has 16 coaches, Vande Metro trains will only have eight.
“We are also developing Vande Metro... Around big cities, there are large habitations from where people would like to come to the big city for work or leisure, and go back to their home place. For that, we are coming up with a Vande Bharat equivalent. The design and production will be completed this year, and in the next financial year, a ramp-up of production of the train will be done. This will be a rapid shuttle-like experience for passengers,” the Minister said to reporters.
The Vande Metro fleet’s design and manufacture will be completed in 2023, the Minister said, adding that the ramp-up of production will be done in the upcoming fiscal year.
This year’s union budget increased the capital outlay for the railways to the highest-ever Rs 2.40 lakh crore. While a large part is likely to be earmarked for replacing old tracks to speed up trains, Vande Bharat Express trains in more destinations are also expected to be launched. The railways is proposing to manufacture 100 more Vistadome coaches aimed at attracting tourists.
#WATCH via ANI Multimedia | After success of Vande Bharat, India to run Vande metro, regional rail, says Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnawhttps://t.co/b7zBx3u0yA
— ANI (@ANI) February 4, 2023