Vande Bharat extends to 150 services as PM Modi inaugurates 3 new trains

BENGALURU/NAGPUR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated three new Vande Bharat Express trains from Bengaluru, which is a big milestone in the expansion of high-speed rail in India.

With these additions, the number of Vande Bharat trains in the country has increased to 150, increasing connectivity in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Jammu & Kashmir, and Punjab.

The new trains are the Belagavi–Krantiveer Sangolli Rayanna (Bengaluru) Vande Bharat Express, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra–Amritsar Vande Bharat Express, and the Ajni (Nagpur)–Pune Vande Bharat Express.

The Belagavi–Bengaluru train will enhance north-south connectivity in Karnataka by shortening the travel time for the 500 km journey and enhancing opportunities in investment, education, healthcare, and tourism. Major stops are Dharwad, Hubballi, Haveri, Davanagere, Tumakuru, and Yeshvantpur.

The new Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra–Amritsar service will enhance connectivity between Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir through important halts at Jammu Tawi, Pathankot Cantt, Jalandhar City, and Beas. This new addition increases the number of Vande Bharat trains in Jammu & Kashmir to four and in Punjab to three.

In Maharashtra, the Ajni–Pune Vande Bharat Express—halting at Wardha, Badnera, Akola, Bhusaval, Jalgaon, Manmad, Kopargaon, Ahmednagar, and Daund—brings the state’s Vande Bharat count to six. The train is also India’s longest-operating Vande Bharat service, traversing 881 km in 12 hours.

Ever since its launch, Vande Bharat Express has become the new face of Indian Railways, currently running in more than 24 states and union territories. Over 6.3 crore passengers have used the facilities of these trains to date, as per an average occupancy rate of more than 102 per cent, evidencing their popularity.

Blessed with top-of-the-world facilities such as foldable snack tables, movable charging stations, plush chairs, digital toilets, infotainment systems, GPS-tracking real-time tracking, and the native ‘Kavach’ security system, the Vande Bharat Express is India’s technological and comfort leap in railways.

Addressing the occasion, Central Railway’s Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO), Swapnil Neela, acknowledged the importance of the new Ajni–Pune route, stating, “With 881 kilometres of track covered in 12 hours, this service showcases both the speed and efficiency that Vande Bharat brings to Indian Railways.”