The ministry of railways has decided to operate at least one Vande Bharat train in all the states, except some northeastern states, by mid next month.
At present, 18 Vande Bharat are under operation covering 22 states and Union Territories. The railways would soon to start on Mumbai-Goa and Ranchi-Patna routes. Latest train was flagged off by PM Narendra Modi between New Jalpaiguri-Guwahati route in Assam.
For remaining states, the railways is planning a faster rollout of semi-high speed trains. Since many northeastern states do not have a 100% electrified network, operation of these trains would be difficult, said a railways official.
Vande Bharat trains are designed with a top speed of 160 kmph but they will run at a speed of up to 130 kmph according to track capacity.
Old tracks were designed to support speeds between 70 and 80 kmph. The railways is also upgrading 25,000-35,000 km of tracks to support speeds of 110 kmph, 130 kmph and 160 kmph.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently said that by 2027-28, 20,000-30,000 km of track will be capable of running Vande Bharat trains at a speed of 160 kmph, and added that railway overhead power lines are also being upgraded to support high speed trains.
“Very unique design has been developed for fencing. The height is about five feet and it has two horizontal barriers. It has been installed on a stretch of about 250 km between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, and there has been zero-cattle casualty since the time it was installed. We are working on all the factors for high-speed trains,” the minister said.