Vande Bharat Express

News:Union Minister for Home Affairs has flagged off the New Delhi-Katra Vande Bharat Express in New Delhi.

Facts:

  • The Vande Bharat Express will depart from the New Delhi Railway Station and reach Katra in Jammu and Kashmir.
  • The train will give a big boost to the religious tourism as many Hindus have a desire to visit Vaishno devi Temple which is situated in Katra at least once in the lifetime.
  • This is the second Vande Bharat Express as the first runs between Delhi and Varanasi.

Features of Vande Bharat Express:

  • Vande Bharat is India’s first indigenously built engineless train capable of running at a speed of up to 160 kmph,It is also being referred to as a successor to the 30-year-old Shatabdi Express.
  • The fully air-conditioned semi-high speed train will cut travel time by 15% as compared to the Shatabdi.
  • The train has been manufactured under ‘Make in India’ initiative by the Integral Coach Factory(ICF).
  • The features of the train include (a)modern air-conditioned coaches (b) touch free automatic doors (c) GPS-enabled passenger information system and (d) onboard uninterrupted Wifi and infotainment system.