Vande Bharat Express crosses another milestone

The indigenously-built Vande Bharat Express has completed one lakh running kilometres without missing a single trip, officials said on Thursday.

A senior Railway Ministry official told IANS: "The Vande Bharat Express, which was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from New Delhi to Varanasi on February 15, clocked one lakh running kilometres on Wednesday without missing a single trip in the last three months."

The train had on its first day on February 15 suffered a breakdown near Kanpur during its return journey from Varanasi.

The Vande Bharat Express, which began its first commercial run from February 17, will soon start replacing Shatabdi Express trains.

The high-speed train has been manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai.

The gleaming blue-nosed train comes fitted with the best amenities including high-speed on-board WiFi, GPS-based passenger information system, touch-free bio-vacuum toilets, LED lighting, mobile charging points and a climate control system that automatically adjusts the temperature.

The 16-coach train has two executive compartments with 52 seats each and trailer coaches with 78 seats each. The executive class coaches have rotating seats to match the direction of the train.