The Indian Railways (IR) is riding high on the success of semi-high-speed Vande Bharat trains and is planning to launch the country’s first Vande Metro to transform the intra-city transportation system.
“All preparations are going on to start its trial run from July 2024 so that its services can be offered to people as soon as possible,” the official said.
Vande Metro is based on the latest technology to acquire high acceleration and deceleration, which will help it cover more stoppages in less time. The train will have several new features, keeping in mind the travel needs of city dwellers.
“We have set a target to roll them out this year. Its testing will start in another couple of months. Besides having automatic doors and a high comfort quotient, it will have many features that are not currently available on metro trains,” the official said.
According to Railway sources, it will have a unique coach configuration: four coaches will constitute one unit, and a minimum of 12 coaches will make one Vande Metro. To start with, the Railways will launch a minimum of 12 Vande Metro coaches and will increase the number of coaches to 16 per the demand on the route.
“Initially, we will have a 12-coach metro, but it can be extended to 16 coaches depending on the city's demand and needs,” the official said, adding that the city that will have the first Vande Metro is also being worked out.
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