NEW DELHI: Union Railway Minister Ashwani Vaishnav has elucidated the rationale behind the selection of the orange colour for the new Vande Bharat Express which has commenced its service in the country. The minister's explanation comes in response to allegations of a political motive behind the choice of the orange colour.

"The colour orange has been chosen for the new Vande Bharat for scientific reasons," explained the Union Minister to the media. "Yellow and orange are colours that the human eye can readily discern. In fact, approximately 80 percent of trains in European countries are painted in shades of orange or a combination of orange and yellow. While there are various vibrant colours to choose from our assessment based on public perception suggests that orange and yellow are the more effective choices," the minister elaborated.

The Minister further highlighted that the colour orange is used for significant safety items such as the black boxes in airplanes and ships. Even the lifeboats and life jackets employed by the National Disaster Response Force are predominantly orange. "There is no political agenda behind the new colour of Vande Bharat," affirmed Ashwani Vaishnav.

The Vande Bharat train, which commenced its service from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram on September 24 has been painted in orange. On that day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated nine Vande Bharat services, with the 31st Vande Bharat train now operating on the Kasaragod - Thiruvananthapuram route.

The service commences at 7 am from Kasaragod and arrives in Thiruvananthapuram at 3.05 pm. The return journey departs at 4.05 pm and reaches Kasaragod at 11.58 pm. Notably, there is no service from Thiruvananthapuram on Mondays, and from Kasaragod on Tuesdays. The train is identified by the number 20631 when departing from Kasaragod and 20632 when departing from Thiruvananthapuram.