The Vande Bharat Express, also known as Train 18, is an initiative under the "Make in India" campaign that is going to launch five more new trains by June end.
The Make in India initiative aimed to boost the domestic manufacturing sector, create job opportunities, and promote technological advancements.
It also aimed to position India as a global player in the field of rail transportation.
Currently, there are 18 Vande Bharat Express trains operating in India to make travelling easier for passengers.
The five trains will travel the following routes: Patna-Ranchi, Bhopal-Indore, Mumbai-Goa, Bangalore-Hubballi, and Bhopal-Jabalpur.
After the disastrous triple train accident in Odisha's Balasore, the railway ministry decided to postpone the launch of the Mumbai-Goa Vande Bharat train.
This will be the first launch since the horrible rail tragedy in Odisha earlier this month which left over 280 people dead.
Here are the five new routes:
The first semi-high-speed train between Ranchi and Bihar successfully completed a trial run according to Indian Railways.
Though the route is not finalized, a senior South Eastern Railway officer in Ranchi stated that it is most likely that the train will travel through Tatisilwai, Mesra, Shanki, Barkakana, Hazaribag, Koderma, and Gaya.
The cost of the eight-rake semi-high-speed train would be roughly 2,000 for the executive class and between 1,000 and 1,200 for chair car.
According to Madhya Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unit president VD Sharma, PM Modi would flag off the semi-high-speed train connecting Bhopal and Indore from the Rani Kamlapati railway station.
The second semi-high-speed line in Madhya Pradesh will travel between the two cities at a speed of 130 kph.
The semi-high-speed train that connects Bhopal and Jabalpur will also be flagged off by Prime Minister Modi. According to VD Sharma, a Lok Sabha representative from Khajuraho "On June 27, the prime minister will arrive in Bhopal and signal the departure of Vande Bharat Express trains."
Karnataka is poised to receive its second Vande Bharat Express train, connecting Bengaluru-Hubballi-Dharwad. This new addition joins the existing Vande Bharat train, which currently operates between Chennai, Bengaluru, and Mysuru.
Six days a week, excluding Fridays, the first Blue-White train from Goa and the fourth from Mumbai will travel between Madgaon in Goa and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in Mumbai.
During the test run, it travelled 586 kilometres in almost seven hours. The seven stations where it is most likely to stop are Dadar, Thane, Panvel, Khed, Ratnagiri, Kankavli, and Thivim.
