50 Vande Metro, Vande Bharat sleeper trains coming soon; Kerala also under consideration for first phase

NEW DELHI: Vande Metro and Vande Bharat sleeper trains, which will be launched as part of the modernization of Indian Railways, are getting ready for a trial run. Railways is planning to conduct trial runs of trains connecting various stations in the country by the month of July. Quoting the railways, various national media are reporting that the first to be tested will be the Vande Metro.

Reports suggest that the central government is planning to roll out 50 push-pull Amrit Bharat trains this year itself. It will be a train with engines on both sides. Indian Railways also plans to launch cone-shaped trains next year, similar to those used in European countries. 50 new trains will be launched in Vande Metro and Vande Bharat sleeper section. It is indicated that Kerala, where Vandebharat is running as a huge hit, will get consideration when the route of new trains is announced.

Vande Metro trains will be the first to arrive for the trial run. This service will connect routes between 100 to 250 km. It is reported that these are fully AC trains. Fares will also be lower than Vande Bharat services. In the first phase, this train service will connect 124 cities of the country. Possible routes that might be considered are the Thiruvananthapuram - Ernakulam \ Thrissur and Ernakulam - Kozhikode routes where there are a high number of passengers.

Vande Metro will have 12 AC coaches. Automatic doors and side seats can be adjusted for passenger comfort. It is reported that sufficient space will be ensured for those travelling standing up. The travel time will be adjusted in such a way that it will be most beneficial to the passengers on short-distance routes. There are also reports that the Vande Metro will be a model similar to the Vande Bharat train.