Vande Bharat makeover: Lower fares, new colours, and a Vande Sadharan avatar

The Railways will soon roll out a low-fare and non-AC alternative to the Vande Bharat trains, which, due to their high fares and state-of-the art interiors, have been dubbed an ‘elitist fascination’ of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Here is the full list of Vande Bharat trains

Taking cue from the criticism on the Vande Bharat trains over the past few weeks, and the low occupancy seen on some routes, the Railways has also announced a slew of changes for the new rakes.

Data sourced by PTI revealed that the Bhopal-Jabalpur Vande Bharat service had an occupancy rate of 29 per cent as of June-end, while the Indore-Bhopal Vande Bharat Express experienced even lower occupancy at 21 per cent. Currently, the journey on these trains costs Rs 950 for an AC Chair car ticket and Rs 1,525 for an Executive Chair Car ticket.

The corrective measures may be aimed to taking the train to more people to ensure greater occupancy. The most significant is a slash in fares, but the change of colour is significant, too.  Here’s a look at what’s new on the Vande Bharat front.

Vande Bharat Vs Vande Sadharan

Christened ‘Vande Sadharan’, the new, aam admi avatar of Vande Bharat trains will have the same amenities as their premium cousin, sans air-conditioning. They will as well be a lot lighter on the pocket of passengers.

Also Read: Vande Bharat rides get cheaper: Up to 25% drop in AC seating fares on all trains

According to reports, Vande Sadharan trains will be manufactured at the Indian Railways Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai at a cost of ₹65 crore each. The ICF is expected to rollout the first rake by this year end.

These for-the-masses trains will have features like CCTV cameras and automatic doors and will have the same modern amenities as the regular AC Vande Bharat Express trains, like bio-vacuum toilets, passenger information system, wi-fi, and charging points.

Each Vande Sadharan train will have 24 LBH coaches and will be hauled by two engines, one at the front and the other at the rear end, according to railway officials. The trains will be hauled by push and pull method, which helps the train gain acceleration and run speedily.

Also read: Top 10 popular Vande Bharat trains in India. Here is the full list

The Railways is expected to charge standard fare for travelling in Vande Sadharan trains.

Fares slashed

The Railways have announced to slash the fair of AC chair cars and executive classes of all trains, including Vande Bharat trains, by 25 per cent. But the discount will be subject to occupancy. The Railways was being criticised for making travel by Vande Bharat trains, which are short-distance trains, quite expensive.

Analysis | Vande Bharat trains: Great idea, but we have no infra to make them run

Saffron-grey colour for new batches

Meanwhile, the Railways has announced that the next batch of Vande Bharat trains will have saffron-grey colour. As per Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, the colour of the 28th rake of the trains will be changed on a trial basis.

While it is a departure from the traditional blue colour of the train, the move has the potential to trigger a controversy as many political quarters may see red over the saffron colour. The minister, however, said that the new saffron colour is inspired by the Tricolour.

Vaishnaw also said that a new safety feature called ‘anti-climbers’, will be added to all Vande Bharat trains and other trains.