Railways for huge makeover; long distance train journeys to be less crowded; more tickets to be available

NEW DELHI: After the huge wave of Vande Bharat trains, Railways is all set to introduce Vande Bharat Metro and Vande Bharat Sleeper trains. Preparations are being made for a trial run in the months of June and July. This will change the face of Indian Railways as two categories of trains hit the tracks.

Vande Bharat sleeper trains are meant to be used on long-distance journeys whereas the Vande Bharat train connects places within 800 km. Its coach design was already out and the construction work is in progress.

The third one is the Vande Bharat Metro train. Vande metros aim to connect major cities with neighbouring cities. The Railways and the Central Government estimate that the Vande Metro train in India will make a big difference in people's lives and save time. The aim is to reduce the load on long-distance trains and connect major cities with nearby cities. The schedule of new trains will be announced by Indian Railways by June 3. The trial run will begin in July 2024. In the initial phase, the metro will cover railway stations up to 200 km. These trains will run at a speed of 120 km per hour. Ticket prices are expected to be equal to or up to 15% higher than Sleeper class fares. Similar to Metro coaches, 80% of the seats in these trains can be reserved in advance. The remaining 20% ​​seats will be available for passengers to book through the station or through the UTS app.

The biggest feature is that the congestion on long-distance trains will be reduced. Getting a ticket on a long-distance train is usually a very difficult task. This is because even short and medium-distance travellers rely on long-distance trains. With the coming of Vande Bharat Metro trains, those travelling within a distance of 200 to 250 km will switch to that train. With that, the congestion in long-distance trains will be reduced and tickets will be easily available, calculates the railway authorities.