The first trial run of the Vande Metro, which will eventually replace MEMUs (Mainline Multiple Electric Units), will be conducted between Chennai Beach and Katpadi Junction on August 3 with the Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety (CCRS) onboard.
The prototype of the Vande Metro, which was rolled out a couple of months back from the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) here, is a fully air-conditioned (AC) train designed to run at a maximum speed of 130 km per hour with facilities like automatic doors, better toilers, and infotainment.
Sources told DH that the CCRS will be in Chennai on August 2 to visit the ICF and take the Vande Metro the next day. “This will be a trial run conducted from Chennai Beach to Katpadi Junction covering 130 km on Saturday. The entourage will take the same train to return to Chennai,” a source in the know said.
The trial run will begin at 9:30 am from the Chennai Beach Station and reach Villivakkam in the city for officers to board it at 10:10 am. After five minutes, it will begin its journey towards Katpadi, where it will reach at 11:55 am. The train will start on its return journey from Katpadi at 12:15 pm to reach Chennai Beach at 2 pm.
However, it is not clear whether the country’s first Vande Metro will run between Chennai Beach and Katpadi, a busy route with thousands of people travelling between the two cities every day, or a different route.
Vande Metro will have almost all facilities available in the Vande Bharat except for pantry cars. The trains will have space for standees as it will run on short-distance routes. Each coach will have seating facilities for 100 passengers and space for over 200 standees, sources said.
Officials said the new train variant will have better acceleration as every alternative coach will have a power pack under the coach as compared to every fourth in the existing MEMUs. Six coaches will have underslung power packs which will help in better acceleration of the train.
Primarily designed for intercity short-distance commuter travel, the Vande Metro will have double leaf doors for easy boarding and de-boarding of passengers. These AC trains can be deployed to cover distances within 200-250 km from bigger cities like Chennai, and Mumbai.