Nagpur’s first ‘Vande Bharat Express’ was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at beautifully decorated Nagpur Railway Station, amidst cheers of the public, on Sunday. The train, running between Nagpur and Bilaspur, can achieve a maximum speed of 180 kmph. It can accelerate to a speed of 100 km per hour in 54.6 seconds and has classes like Shatabdi Express with better amenities.

The Prime Minister was accompanied by Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Chief Minister of Maharashtra Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari.

Modi also laid foundation stone for redevelopment of Nagpur and Ajni railway stations and Dedicated Government Maintenance Depot at Ajni for 12,000 HP WAG-12 class freight locomotives, Kohli-Narkhed section (49.74 km) of Nagpur-Itarsi third line project by unveiling the e-Plaque.

At the onset, the Prime Minister was welcomed by the senior Railway officials at the railway station which was decorated with colourful flowers. Modi was presented a painting by the dignitaries on the temporary dais erected on Platform no 1 of the station. The painting was made by Bijay Biswal, a retired Railway employee from the same angle when the Vande Bharat Express was flagged off on Sunday. The 50x30 acrylic painting depicts a woman carrying oranges on a railway platform.

The country’s 6th Vande Bharat Express will connect Nagpur-Raipur-Bilaspur. The train offers superior amenities to passengers along with aircraft-like travelling experience and advanced state-of-the-art safety features, including KAVACH technology. Executive Class coaches in Vande Bharat Express have been provided with reclining seats with the added feature of 180 degree rotating seats. Every coach is equipped with 32 inch screens providing passenger information and infotainment. Divyang-friendly washrooms and seat handles with seat numbers in Braille have also been provided. Finer heat ventilation and air conditioning control through higher efficiency compressor, with Ultra Violet lamp have been added to ensure germ-free supply of air. Vacuum toilets with touch-free amenities, better fire safety measures with Aerosol-based fire detection and suppression system in all electrical cubicles and toilets are the added features. The train was manufactured indigenously at Integral Coach Factory, Perambur, Chennai.

Raosaheb Danve, Union Minister of State for Railways, Dr Bharti Pawar, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, V K Tripathi, Chairman and CEO, Railway Board, Anil Kumar Lahoti, GM Central Railway, Richa Khare, DRM CR, and other dignitaries also were present on the occasion.