NEW DELHI: Train 18, India's fastest, will now be known as "Vande Bharat Express", Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said today. The train will run between Delhi and Varanasi at a maximum speed of 160 km per hour. It is likely to be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The 16-coach train, built in 18 months at a cost of Rs. 97 crore by the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai, is regarded as a successor to the 30-year-old Shatabdi Express. It is also the first locomotive-less train in the country.
"Train 18 will now be known as Vande Bharat Express. It's a train built completely in India by Indian engineers, in a span of 18 months. It will ply from Delhi to Varanasi. It Is possible to make world-class trains under Make in India," Mr Goyal said.
The fully air-conditioned train will stop at Kanpur and Allahabad and will have two executive chair cars.
"The train is completely made in India. We decided to go with the name 'Vande Bharat as a Republic Day gift to the people. Will request the prime minister to flag it off," he said