The fastest train in the country, Train 18 will soon ply three new routes: from Bangalore to Mangalore (both in Karnataka state), from Mangalore to Chennai (Tamil Nadu), and from Mangalore to Hyderabad (Telangana).
Currently, Train 18 covers the 850 km distance between Delhi and Varanasi in 8 hours while ordinary trains normally need at least 12 to complete the same journey. The average speed of the train is 95 km/h reaching 130 km/h on certain stretches of the railway line. Ticket prices are about twice as high as those in ordinary trains: a seat in an air-conditioned carriage for Delhi–Varanasi route costs INR1760, for a seat in Executive Chair Car get prepared to pay INR3310.
It took only 18 months to build the Vande Bharat Express in Chennai under the Indian government's Make in India initiative hence the name 'Train 18'. Its production cost USD14 million and allowed to save about 40% of the money that otherwise would have been spent on importing a similar train from Europe.
Photo: By Prime Minister's Office (GODL-India), GODL-India
Three New Routes Planned for Train 18 in India
News in Asia
Vande Bharat Express, also known as Train 18, the first semi-high speed intercity train of India launched on February, 15 to serve the route between New Delhi and Varanasi via Allahabad and Kanpur, will soon add three new routes to its portfolio.