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Railways await PMO nod for Delhi-Katra Vande Bharat Express
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SME Times News Bureau | 18 Jul, 2019
The Indian Railways is hopeful of getting the approval of the Prime
Minister's Office (PMO) to run another Vande Bharat Express, this one
between New Delhi and Katra in Jammu and Kashmir, senior railway
officials said on Thursday.
An official told IANS on the
condition of anonymity: "The proposal to run a second Vande Bharat
Express between New Delhi and Katra is with the PMO. We are hopeful of
getting a nod in the coming week."
The official said the plan to
run the second Vande Bharat Express, earlier known as Train 18, between
Delhi and Katra was sent for clearance a few weeks ago.
The
Railway Board decided to run the indigenously built high speed train
between Delhi and Katra, the base for the Vaishno Devi shrine, after the
success of the train now plying between New Delhi and Varanasi which
has completed over 1.5 lakh running km in five months.
The
train, capable of attaining a speed of 200 kmph, will cut down the
travelling time between Delhi and Katra by over five hours.
Currently,
a Superfast train takes about 12 hours to reach Katra from Delhi,
covering a distance of about 655 km. The Vande Bharat Express will
consume only eight hours.
The official said the route was
identified by the Railway Board in order to capitalize on the high
traffic volume, which sees a lot of footfall due to the Vaishno Devi
temple.
The Railway Board proposes to run the train three days --
Monday, Thursday and Saturday. But it can be extended to five days a
week depending on the demand.
The Vande Bharat Express will leave
from Delhi at 6 a.m. and reach Katra at 2 p.m. The same day, it will
depart from Katra at 3 p.m. and reach the national capital at 11 p.m.
The
official pointed out that the train would be run at a maximum speed of
130 kmph on the Delhi-Katra route with three stops: Ambala, Ludhiana and
Jammu Tawi before reaching Katra.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had flagged off the first Vande Bharat Express on February 15 this year.
The Integral Coach Factory, which manufactured Train 18, has made changes in the existing design of the train.
"To
avoid damage due to stray cattle, the train has been equipped with a
sturdy aluminium-clad nose cover. And to guard the window shields
against stone pelting, a special film on windows has been provided," the
official said.
More space has been provided to store meals for passengers.
Besides
the changes in the exterior and interior designs, the ICF has added a
slew of modern features like adjustable seats, improved wash basins,
automatic doors, WiFi and infotainment system among others.
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