Train 18 launch: Proud moment for India! PM Narendra Modi to flag off Vande Bharat Express in Delhi on Friday

It is set to be a historic day for India! The country's first semi-high speed train, Train 18 also known as Vande Bharat Express will be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday from the New Delhi railway station. This was revealed by a Prime Minister's Office (PMO) statement. Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and members of the Railway Board will be on board Train 18 on its inaugural journey, the statement added.

Train 18 will travel from Delhi to Varanasi in 9 hours and 45 minutes. This includes stoppage time of 40 minutes each at Kanpur and Allahabad where there will be special programmes. At the New Delhi railway station, Modi will inspect the facilities on Train 18 and address a gathering on the occasion.

The semi-high speed Train 18, which has been recently rechristened Vande Bharat Express, can run up to a maximum speed of 160 kmph and has travel classes like the Shatabdi trains but with better facilities. It aims to provide a totally new travel experience to passengers.

It has 16 air-conditioned coaches of which two are executive class. The total seating capacity is 1,128 passengers. It is much more than the conventional Shatabdi rakes of equal number of coaches, thanks to shifting of all electric equipment below the coaches and seats in the driving coach also. 

All Train 18 coaches are equipped with automatic doors, GPS-based audio-visual passenger information system, on-board hotspot WiFi for entertainment purposes and very comfortable seating. All toilets are bio-vacuum type. The lighting is dual mode, that is diffused for general illumination and personal for every seat.

Every Train 18 coach has a pantry facility to serve hot meals and, hot and cold beverages. The insulation is meant to keep heat and noise to very low levels for additional passenger comfort.

Adding up the green footprints, Train 18 has regenerative braking system which can save up to 30 per cent of electrical energy.

The Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai, has been the force behind the completely in-house design and manufacture of Train 18, which was completed in just 18 months.