Fast-tracking Vande Bharat Express

Context

In Budget 2022, the Finance Minister has announced that 400 new energy-efficient Vande Bharat trains will be introduced in three years.

Key-points

• Going by the cost of the current train sets, the 400 announced by FM carry a potential investment of Rs 50,000 crore over the next three years.
• The current Vande Bharats are being made at Rs 106 crore per train set of 16 cars, at 2018 pricing.
• The future ones will cost slightly more, because of different specifications and also inflation.
• Going by the industry practice, the sheer manufacturing of 400 of these trainset will create additional employment to the tune of 10,000-15,000.

What are Vande Bharat Trains?

• The Train18, later named Vande Bharat Express, was rolled out by the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai under the Indian government’s Make in India initiative.
• The train was launched on 15 February 2019.
• It was showcased as India’s first semi high-speed train with an operational efficiency of 160 kmph.
• Vande Bharat is a semi-high speed train set, each of 16 coaches, and self-propelled — they do not require an engine.
• Currently, two Vande Bharat trains are currently in operation, Delhi-Varanasi and Delhi-Katra.
• This is called a distributed traction power system, which is increasingly becoming the norm the world over for passenger operations.
• Distributed power gives the train higher acceleration and deceleration compared to loco-hauled trains, which take a much longer time to reach top speed or to gradually come to a halt.