Nagpur: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday flagged off Nagpur-Bilaspur rake of Vande Bharat express from Nagpur railway station after inspecting the onboard facilities for passengers. It’s the sixth rake of the semi-high speed train launched in the country.
Modi inspected the control centre of the locomotive engine of Vande Bharat express and also took stock of the development plans of the Nagpur and Ajni railway stations. The travel time from Nagpur to Bilaspur will be reduced to 5 hours 30 mins the earlier from 7-8 hours.
Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde, deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and Union minister of road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari were also present at Nagpur station at the train’s flagging off function.
The introduction of the train will help boost tourism in the region and provide a comfortable and faster mode of travel. The Nagpur-Bilaspur Vande Bharat train is an advanced version compared to the earlier ones, being much lighter and capable of reaching higher speeds in a shorter duration.
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Vande Bharat 2.0 is equipped with more advancements and improved features such as reaching a speed of 0 to 100 kilometres per hour in just 52 seconds, and a maximum speed of up to 180 kilometres per hour.
The improved Vande Bharat express will weigh 392 tons when compared to the previous version of 430 tons. It will also have a Wi-Fi content on-demand facility. Every coach has 32” screens providing passenger information and infotainment compared to 24” in the previous version.
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Vande Bharat express will also be environmentally friendly as the ACs will be 15% more energy efficient. With dust-free clean air cooling of the traction motor, travel will become more comfortable. A side recliner seat facility provided only to Executive Class passengers earlier will now be made available for all classes. Executive Coaches have the added feature of 180-degree rotating seats.
In the new design of Vande Bharat Express, a photo-catalytic ultraviolet air purification system is installed in the roof-mounted package unit (RMPU) for air purification. As recommended by Central Scientific Instruments Organisation (CSIO), Chandigarh, this system is designed and installed on both ends of RMPU to filter and clean the air free from germs, bacteria, viruses etc. coming through fresh air and return air.
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The Vande Bharat express 2.0 offers various superior and aircraft-like travelling experiences. It is equipped with advanced state-of-the-art safety features including an indigenously developed Train Collision Avoidance System – KAVACH, said a senior officer of railway ministry.
