Vande Bharat Metro Trains: Design features and latest updates

The Indian Railways plans to introduce Vande Metro, a mini version of semi-high-speed Vande Bharat Express trains that are operational from January 2019. The move aims to enable people to commute between big cities for work or to reach their hometowns faster.

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Post the Union Budget 2023 on February 1, 2023, Railway Minister Ashiwini Vaishnaw announced that the production and design of the new metro train would be completed by December 2023. Vande Metro will initially operate on heritage circuits such as Kalka-Shimla and will later expand to other places. The production of Vande Metro will be ramped up in FY 2024-25.

Vande Metro: Features

Vande Metro trains are based on the concept of ‘Regional Trans’ trains of Europe. Similar to local trains, they will travel much more quickly.
Vande Bharat Metro trains will be designed by Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai under the Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat mission.
The indigenously manufactured Vande Metro trains will be smaller in size, with eight coaches, compared to 16 coaches of the Vande Bharat Express.
The metro trains will feature air-conditioned coaches, automatic doors, CCTV facility, passenger information and public address system along with additional safety features.
Vande Metro trains will operate on a high frequency. The Vande Metro train design speed will be 130 kilometre (km) per hour.
The Indian Railways plans to operate these trains between cities which are less than 100 km.
It is the first hydrogen-powered train aimed to provide passengers with a world-class shuttle-like experience.
The trains will run by receiving traction power via 25kV overhead equipment (OHE), which is similar to Vande Bharat Trains.
The trains will have only seating facilities like the intercity trains operated by the Indian Railways across metro cities and suburban areas.
There will be no pantry car for food services for passengers.

The trains will facilitate faster commuting between big cities, especially for students, traders, and those in the service sector.

Vande Metro: How will it be different from Delhi-Meerut RRTS Rapid Rail?

Vande Metro and RRTS projects are being developed to provide high-speed rail connectivity between urban centres in the country.

According to the Railway Minister, work has started on the world-class regional trains and the prototype will be ready in the coming 12 to 16 months.

Vande Metro will be a smaller version of Vande Bharat Express trains, a semi-high-speed, electric multiple-unit train run by Indian Railways. As per railway authorities, Bangalore may be one of the first cities to get Vande Metro services, providing connectivity to cities like Tumakuru and Hindupur. Similarly, Vande Metro services are likely to connect the two major cities of Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow and Kanpur, which are about 90 km apart.

Like the Vande Metro, the Delhi-Meerut Regional Rail Transit System is being developed to provide urban rail connectivity. However, the Delhi-Meerut RRTS is being operated by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), and it will provide connectivity only in the National Capital Region, covering Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Ghaziabad and Faridabad with other cities in neighbouring states such as Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan. The full corridor of about 90 km is expected to be ready in 2025.

Vande Metro: Latest updates

Vande Bharat Metro to replace Mumbai local trains

May 22, 2023: According to media reports, the Mumbai local trains will soon be replaced with Vande Bharat Metro Trains. The Railway Board has given the approval to procure 238 Vande Bharat Metro trains to upgrade the suburban railway network, a senior Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) official said.

According to an MRVC spokesperson, the trains will be manufactured by the technology partner, ensuring Make in India guidelines of the Centre’s Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade. The procurement will be undertaken by the MRVC, and it will be with maintenance requirements spanning 35 years.

The official said that the new rakes would be manufactured under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project III (MUTP-III) and 3A (MUTP 3A) project, which are being managed by the railway ministry and the Maharashtra government to boost the capacity of the train network. These MUTP-III and MUTP 3A projects are developed at a cost of Rs 10,947 crore and Rs 33,690 crore, respectively.

FAQs

What is Vande Bharat metro?

Vande Bharat Metro is the mini version of the Vande Bharat Express train, which is the country’s first indigenous semi-high-speed train that was announced in the Union Budget 2023-24.

What are the unique features of Vande Bharat Metro?

The trains will be similar to Metro trains and comprise of eight to 12 coahces. They will have modern features such as air-conditioned coaches, automatic doors, CCTV cameras, passenger information and public address system, etc.

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Harini Balasubramanian

Harini is a content management professional with over 12 years of experience. She has contributed articles for various domains, including real estate, finance, health and travel insurance and e-governance. She has in-depth experience in writing well-researched articles on property trends, infrastructure, taxation, real estate projects and related topics. A Bachelor of Science with Honours in Physics, Harini prefers reading motivational books and keeping abreast of the latest developments in the real estate sector.