Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday announced that 75 new Vande Bharat Express trains would be launched by August 15, 2023 by the Indian Railways. Vande Bharat is a Shatabdi-type semi-high speed train offering additional amenities and advantages to the passengers.

“The 75 Vande Bharat trains will be connecting every corner of the country in 75 weeks of the Amrit Mahotsav of Independence,” Modi said while addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the occasion of the 75th Independence Day.

The Prime Minister also talked about boosting rail connectivity in the northeast region, saying it is significant for the entire country.

“Today, we are in the process of writing history as far as connectivity to the northeast is concerned. This connectivity is both, between hearts and infrastructure. Very soon the job of connecting the capital cities of the north-eastern States by rail will be completed,” Modi said.

Designed by the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai, the Vande Bharat Express is a semi-high speed, fully air-conditioned train, having quicker acceleration and contemporary passenger amenities like onboard infotainment and GPS-based passenger information system, CCTVs, automatic sliding doors with retractable coach footsteps and zero discharge vacuum-based bio-toilets and so on.

At present two Vande Bharat Express trains operate in the country. The first one operates between Varanasi and New Delhi while the second express operates between Katra and New Delhi.

Sources in the Ministry of Railways said that the national transporter is in the process of manufacturing trains that will have the track capacity to allow trains to run at speeds of 225 kmph and the first batch of these aluminum coaches is scheduled to be delivered to the network by February 2022. The Modern Coach Factory (MCF) based in Rae Bareli is planning to manufacture aluminum coaches.

The first three such coaches will be given to the Kolkata Metro for prototype trial and after this, the Railways will get these coaches for premium trains like Rajdhani, the Shatabdi Express and Vande Bharat.

“The MCF has signed a deal worth Rs 128 crore with the South Korean company Dawonsys for this ambitious project. The design for the metro coach is likely to be finalised by the end of this month,” said a Rail Ministry official.

Aluminum coaches are lighter than Linke Hofmann Busch stainless steel coaches, resulting in lower haulage cost and better fuel efficiency. They do not rust and can last up to 40 years in service. With the modular interior, components can be easily removed and revamped. Being lighter, the speed may increase. The design has the least chance of damage in an accident. It also takes less time to make them, which increases the efficiency of production. Airplanes are also made from this metal, added the official.