Vande Bharat Express which runs between New Delhi and Varanasi is India’s first semi-high speed train. These trains have multiple power units instead of a single locomotive to pull them. This arrangement allows for faster acceleration and deceleration, aka, Mumbai Local Trains. Faster acceleration and deceleration itself leads to a 40% fasted travel time for the Delhi – Varanasi train. These trains can achieve a maximum speed of 180 km/h while the maximum operational speed at present is limited to 160 km/h.

The Integral Coach factory (ICF) which designed and built the first train set will be inviting tenders from manufacturers for building another 40 train sets to be delivered between Jult 2021 and end 2022. The second train is expected to run between New Delhi and Katra in Jammu and Kashmir.

The government has clarified that companies bidding to build these trains need to make in India. Though some level of imports would be permitted provided the final train set is built in India. This would introduce an era of faster and more comfortable train journeys in India.

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