Acknowledging its made-in-India status, the Indian Railways has named the indigenously manufactured Train 18 as Vande Bharat Express, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said on Sunday.
New Delhi:
The train is set to run between Delhi and Varanasi at a maximum speed of 160kmph.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to flag off the train soon.
The 16-coach train, built in 18 months at a cost of Rs 97 crore by the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai, is regarded as a successor to the 30-year-old Shatabdi Express. It's also the first locomotive-less train in the country.
"Train 18 will now be known as Vande Bharat Express. It's a train built completely in India by Indian engineers, in a span of 18 months. It'll ply from Delhi to Varanasi. It is an example that it's possible to make world-class trains under Make in India," Goyal said.
Need for Speed: Train 18 seen cruising at a sustained 180Km/h, officially becoming the fastest train in India pic.twitter.com/2VNF1U3qrl
— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) December 26, 2018
The fully air-conditioned train will stop at Kanpur and Allahabad and will have two executive chair cars.Railways Minister P Goyal: Train 18 will now be known as Vande Bharat Express. It's a train built completely in India by Indian engineers, in a span of 18 months. It'll ply from Delhi to Varanasi. It is an example that it's possible to make world-class trains under Make in India. pic.twitter.com/YOO3Mzt84O
— ANI (@ANI) January 27, 2019
"It is completely made in India and various names were suggested by the general public but we have decided to name it Vande Bharat Express. A gift on the occasion of Republic Day to people. Will request the prime minister to flag it off," he said.