Delhi Vande Bharat Express-News: In a major relief to the passengers of Vande Bharat Express trains travelling from Delhi to various cities, Railways allowed the operation of new 20-coach variants of the high-speed, modern train on such tracks. Currently, Vande Bharat Expresses with 8 and 16 coaches are running on these routes, however, this is set to change as the General Manager approves the 20-coach trains on these routes.
This will significantly increase the number of available seats on each train, thereby helping the passengers in getting a confirmed ticket for the hassle-free journey.
This comes a month after Railways tested the first 20-coach Vande Bharat train successfully at a speed of 130 kmph on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route. The maximum speed of 130 kmph has also been allowed on various routes of the Northern Railway.
More Passengers In Delhi Vande Bharat Express Trains
This move by the railways will greatly benefit those travelling on the Vande Bharat Express from Delhi and other cities under the Northern Railway. Currently, the highest number of Vande Bharat Express trains, totalling 11, operate from Delhi.
Among these, routes to destinations like Varanasi and Katra are particularly crowded, leading to difficulties in obtaining confirmed tickets, especially during festivals and summer and winter holidays. By increasing the number of coaches on these trains, more passengers can be accommodated, which will also help alleviate the issue of waiting lists.
Seating Capacity To Increase By 25%
The 16-coach Vande Bharat train consists of two executive AC chair cars and 14 regular AC chair cars. Each executive AC chair car has 56 seats, while each regular AC chair car has 78 seats, providing a total of 1,204 seats on the train. In the future, this seating capacity is expected to increase by 25 per cent.
Five years ago, an announcement was made to increase the speed of trains on the Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah routes to 160 km/h. Work on this upgrade is currently in progress. Tests are being conducted to run trains at 130 km/h on various rail sections, with plans to conduct trials at 160 km/h in the next phase. Officials have set a target to enhance the speed capacity on both routes by March of next year.