Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off India’s first engineless train Vande Bharat Express on February 15 from the New Delhi Railway Station, a senior official of the ministry told PTI on Wednesday.
Previously known as ‘Train 18’, the train has been manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai. It was recently renamed as ‘Vande Bharat Express’ by railway minister Piyush Goyal.
Elaborating the specialities of the Vande Bharat Express, Goyal said: “It has a centrally controlled system, automatic plugged doors, and means of entertainment”.
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The train became India’s fastest train by hitting speeds of over 180 kmph during a trial run on a section of the Delhi-Rajdhani route.
“The PM will flag off the train at 10 am on February 15 and there will be a function in which he will give a speech as well. It’s a matter of great pride for us as this is the Railways’ first indigenous train,” the official said.
Vande Bharat Express will replace the 30-year-old Shatabdi Express and run from Delhi to Varanasi taking stops at Kanpur and Prayagraj. It has 16 coaches (2 executive chair car and 14 chair car) and will take only eight hours to complete the journey.