Vande Bharat Express 2.0 | 03 Oct 2022

Recently, the Prime Minister flagged off Gandhinagar- Mumbai Vande Bharat Express 2.0 at Gujarat's Gandhinagar station.

Earlier, two Vande Bharat Expresses were operational —one between New Delhi and Varanasi and the other from New Delhi to Katra.

It is an indigenously designed and manufactured semi high speed, self-propelled train that is touted as the next major leap for the Indian Railways in terms of speed and passenger convenience since the introduction of Rajdhani trains.
The first Vande Bharat was manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai as part of the ‘Make in India’ programme, at a cost of about Rs. 100 crore.
The Vande Bharat was India’s first attempt at adaptation of the train set technology compared with conventional systems of passenger coaches hauled by separate locomotives.
The train set configuration, though complex, is faster, easier to maintain, consumes less energy, and has greater flexibility in train operation.

These trains, dubbed as Train 18 during the development phase, operate without a locomotive and are based on a propulsion system called distributed traction power technology, by which each car of the train set is powered.
It can achieve a maximum speed of 160 kmph due to faster acceleration and deceleration, reducing journey time by 25% to 45%.
It also has an intelligent braking system with power regeneration for better energy efficiency thereby making it cost, energy and environment efficient.

The Vande Bharat Express 2.0 offers a myriad of 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.
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.