Secunderabad – Visakhapatnam Vande Bharat Express was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi via video conferencing from New Delhi. This is also going to be the first blue and white colour train connecting two Telugu speaking states – Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said that Vande Bharat express will greatly benefit both pilgrims and tourists.
The Prime Minister also underlined the speed of work that is taking place with regard to Vande Bharat trains. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Tourism and Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy, Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan were present at the Secunderabad railway station during the inauguration ceremony.
This is going to be the country’s 8th semi-high speed train and second train in South India. The train is equipped with state-of-art passenger amenities. The train will reduce the travel time to cover a distance of 699 kms from average 12 hours to 8 hours and 30 minutes. The train is capable of reaching peak speed of 160 kmph.
The Vande Bharat train consists of 14 AC Chair Car coaches and two Executive AC Chair Car coaches with a seating capacity of 1,128 passengers. The ticket booking process has already started. One needs to visit the Passenger Reservation System (PRS) or through the Internet.
The train has a world-class features like better ride-comfort, ergonomic reclining and Divyangjan friendly seats, Kavach enabled safety, automatic doors with retractable footsteps. The train also have 360 degrees rotational seats and infortainment system.