5th Vande Bharat Express, South India’s first, to connect Chennai with Mysuru
South India will get its first indigenous semi-high-speed train as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to flag off India’s fifth Vande Bharat Express train between Chennai and Mysuru via Bengaluru on November 11.
According to the Karnataka government, PM Modi will arrive in Bengaluru on November 11 to attend various programmes including inaugurating the second terminal of Kempegowda International Airport in the state capital.
Also read: Vande Bharat train rams into cattle in Gujarat; third incident this month
During his visit to Bengaluru, Modi will also unveil the 108-foot-tall statue of Nadaprabhu Kempegowda, the founder of Bengaluru, near the airport premises.
“On that day, PM will flag off South India’s first Vande Bharat Express train which will run between Chennai and Mysuru via Bengaluru in the state capital, inaugurate the second terminal of Kempegowda International Airport built at a cost of ₹5,000 crore to handle an additional 2.5 crore passengers,” an official release said.
Earlier, BJP’s Mysuru MP Pratap Simha had tweeted that the Chennai-Mysuru Vande Bharat Express would be flagged off on November 10.
Also read: PM Modi flags off 4th Vande Bharat train from Himachal’s Una
“The 5th Vande Bharat Train will be launched on 10th November 2022. The train will run on Chennai- Bengaluru- Mysuru route. Thank you beloved PM @narendramodi ji n RM @AshwiniVaishnaw ji (sic),” he tweeted on October 14.
The 5th Vande Bharat Train will be launched on 10th November 2022. The train will run on Chennai- Bengaluru- Mysuru route. Thank you beloved PM @narendramodi ji n RM @AshwiniVaishnaw ji. pic.twitter.com/ztwnlKRVda
— Pratap Simha (@mepratap) October 14, 2022
Which are other 4 Vande Bharat Express trains
The first Vande Bharat Express train was flagged off on February 15, 2019 on the New Delhi-Kanpur-Allahabad-Varanasi route.
On October 3, 2019, the second Vande Bharat Express train – New Delhi-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra was launched. It commenced services on October 5, 2019.
Also read: Varanasi-bound Vande Bharat Express suffers jammed wheels, ‘flat tyre’
On September 30, 2022, PM Modi flagged off Gandhinagar-Mumbai Vande Bharat Express at Gandhinagar station. This was a new and upgraded version of Vande Bharat Express (Vande Bharat Express 2.0).
On October 13, 2022, PM Modi flagged off the fourth Vande Bharat Express from Una (Himachal Pradesh) to New Delhi.
Chennai-Mysuru Vande Bharat train timings
The Vande Bharat Express train will run between Chennai and Mysuru via Bengaluru six days a week.
It will depart MGR Chennai Central at 5:50 am and will arrive in Bengaluru at 10:25 am. It will reach Mysuru at 12:30 pm. The total distance between Chennai and Mysuru is 504 km.
On the return trip, it will leave Mysuru at 1:05 pm and reach Bengaluru at 2:55 pm. Then, it will leave Bengaluru at 3 pm and reach Chennai at 7:35 pm.
The average speed of this train is expected to be between 75 km and 78 km per hour.
The fifth Vande Bharat Express will be inaugurated by Our Hon’ble PM Shri @narendramodi ji on 11th Nov 2022. This will be the first semi-high speed service for southern India.
Schedule of Chennai-Bengaluru-Mysuru Vande Bharat Express. pic.twitter.com/t07SX0KqtE
— Pratap Simha (@mepratap) November 2, 2022
PM’s mission of 75 Vande Bharat trains
The Vande Bharat Express can run up to a maximum speed of 160 kmph and has travel classes like Shatabdi Train but with better facilities. It aims to provide a totally new travel experience to passengers.
According to the Union government, “Speed, safety and service are the hallmarks of this train. Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai, a Railways Production unit, has been the force behind a completely in-house design and manufacture, computer modelling and working with a large number of suppliers for system integration.”
In his address to the nation on 15 August 2021 from the ramparts of the Red Fort, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that during the 75 weeks of the Amrit Mahotsav of Independence, 75 Vande Bharat trains will connect every corner of the country.
In the Union Budget 2022-23, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that 400 new generation Vande Bharat Trains with better energy efficiency and passenger riding experience will be developed and manufactured during the next three years.
Features of Vande Bharat 2.0
“Vande Bharat 2.0 is equipped with more advancements and improved features such as reaching a speed of 0 to 100 kilometres per hour in just 52 seconds, and a maximum speed of up to 180 kilometres per hour. The improved Vande Bharat Express will weigh 392 tons when compared to the previous version of 430 tons,” Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement recently.
“It will also have a Wi-Fi content on-demand facility. Every coach has 32” screens providing passenger information and infotainment compared to 24” in the previous version.
“Vande Bharat Express will also be environmentally friendly as the ACs will be 15 per cent more energy efficient. With dust-free clean air cooling of the traction motor, travel will become more comfortable. A side recliner seat facility provided only to Executive Class passengers earlier will now be made available for all classes. Executive Coaches have the added feature of 180-degree rotating seats,” it added.
Further, the official statement from PMO said, “In the new design of Vande Bharat Express, a photo-catalytic ultraviolet air purification system is installed in the Roof-Mounted Package Unit (RMPU) for air purification. As recommended by Central Scientific Instruments Organisation (CSIO), Chandigarh, this system is designed and installed on both ends of RMPU to filter and clean the air free from germs, bacteria, viruses etc. coming through fresh air and return air.
“The Vande Bharat Express 2.0 offers a myriad of superior and aircraft-like travelling experiences. It is equipped with advanced state-of-the-art safety features including an indigenously developed Train Collision Avoidance System – KAVACH.”