Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday flagged off the Vande Bharat Express train connecting Nagpur to Bilaspur.
The flag-off ceremony took place at Nagpur Railway Station in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari.
With the induction of the 6th Vande Bharat train, the semi-high-speed intercity electric multiple unit will cover major stations and locations.
Earlier, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said that the plan to produce 475 Vande Bharat trains in the next three years is on track.
According to the Indian Railways, the new Vande Bharat trains have improved features including reclining seats, CCTV cameras, automatic fire sensors, WiFi facility, three-hour battery backup and GPS system.
Prior to the launch of the Nagpur-Bilaspur train, Vande Bharat trains are already running between Delhi-Varanasi, Delhi-Shri Vaishno Devi Mata Katra, Gandhinagar to Mumbai, New Delhi to Amb Andaura and Chennai-Mysore.
Let’s take a look at all the routes
New Delhi-Varanasi
The first Vande Bharat Express train between New Delhi and Varanasi was flagged off on February 15, 2019. The travel time to cover the distance of 759 km is eight hours. The train leaves Delhi at 6 am and reaches PM Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency at 2 pm. While returning from the other side it starts at 3 PM and reaches the national capital at 11 PM.
New Delhi-Shri Vaishno Devi Mata Katra
The first fully vegetarian Vande Bharat train was started by the Indian Railways on the Delhi-Vaishno Devi, Katra route. The train will reduce the travel time by 4 hours. It will complete the journey from the national capital to the pilgrimage site in just 8 hours. The train starts from New Delhi at 6 am and reaches Katra at 2 pm, while the return train leaves at 3 pm and reaches the national capital at 11 pm.
Gandhinagar-Mumbai
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the Gandhinagar-Mumbai Vande Bharat Express on 30 September. He also took a train ride from Gandhinagar station to Kalupur railway station in Ahmedabad. The train will depart from Mumbai Central station at 6.10 am and reach the capital of Gujarat at 12.30 pm. From the other side, the train will leave Gandhinagar at 2.05 pm and reach Mumbai Central at 8.35 pm. The train will have stoppages at Surat, Vadodara and Ahmedabad stations.
New Delhi to Amb Andaura
The Vande Bharat train between national capital New Delhi and Amb Andaura in Himachal Pradesh was launched in November ahead of the assembly elections. The train leaves the national capital at 5:50 am and reaches Amb Andaura Railway Station at 11:05 am. The journey takes 5.15 hours. From the other side the train leaves at 1 PM and reaches New Delhi at 6:25 PM.
Chennai-Mysore
South India’s first Vande Bharat train running between Chennai and Mysuru was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 11 November. The train takes a total of six and a half hours for both the journeys. The train leaves MGR Central Station, Chennai at 5:50 am and reaches Mysuru at 12:20 pm. While in return it starts at 1:05 PM and reaches Chennai at 7:30 PM.
Nagpur to Bilaspur
The newly introduced Vande Bharat train between Nagpur-Bilaspur will complete its journey in five and a half hours. The train will have three stops on this route at Raipur, Durg and Gondia. The train will leave Bilaspur at around 6:45 am and reach Nagpur at 12:15 pm. The train will depart from Nagpur at 2:00 PM and reach Bilaspur at 7:35 PM.