Pune Vande Bharat sets off Euphoria at Nagpur stn

 Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis during the inaugural run of the Pune Vande Bharat Express at Nagpur Railway Station on Sunday.

 

 

 

Drum beats to traditional dance sequences invoking patriotic fervour, the maiden run of the Pune-bound Vande Bharat was as colourful as the train itself. Central Railway arranged a grand programme at Home Platform of Nagpur Railway Station to mark the inaugural run of the long-awaited link to Pune, the cultural capital of Maharashtra. The swanky new rake of Vande Bharat was tastefully decorated for the occasion as Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the train. The PM was in Bengaluru, from where he showed the green signal to three Vande Bharat trains that commenced operations in the country from Sunday. At Nagpur, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis were prominently present for the ceremony.

 

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators and other leaders were also present, while from the official side senior officers came from CR's headquarters for the function. Students of Scouts and Guides presented traditional dance items, some based on patriotic themes. Separately, drums were specially arranged for adding to an atmosphere that was quite vibrant. This is the fourth Vande Bharat to commence ex-Nagpur. The earlier three Vande Bharat are from Bilaspur, the first in the country to start commercial operations, to Secunderabad, and the last was to Indore. The Vande Bharat, a non-sleeper version, was tastefully decorated for the maiden run to Pune from Nagpur. Children from different schools were invited in record numbers for the programme, and a few of them also got the chance to travel in the first service of Vande Bharat till Badnera to get the feel of the modern design of the train. The real test for the Pune Vande Bharat remains ahead, and it remains to be seen whether it cuts the ice with regular travellers. It has got eight coaches, including 1 Executive Chair Car (EC) and 7 Chair Cars (CC), seating a total of 530 passengers (2 seats in the EC coach, 78 seats each in 5 CC coaches and 44 seats each in 2 CC coaches attached to the Loco Pilot’s cabin). The fare for AC Chair Car is Rs 2,140, while for Executive Chair Car it is Rs 3,815.

 

 

Ajni (Nagpur) - Pune Vande Bharat Express will be the longest-running Vande Bharat, covering a distance of 881 kms in 12 hours. It is the first Vande Bharat serving the hitherto unserved area between Wardha and Manmad and the fastest train between Nagpur and Pune, with a speed of 73 kmph and 10 intermediate stoppages, including Wardha, Badnera, Akola, Shegaon, Bhusaval, Manmad, Kopargaon, Ahilyanagar, and Daund Chord Line. The The other specialisation of the Vande Bharat Train is that it has automatic temperature control wherein it adjusts temperature based on occupancy. The seats are ergonomically designed for comfortable long-distance travel, and the windows of the train have large panoramic windows for scenic views, and they are equipped with bio-vacuum toilets. Besides, it also has emergency communication, inter alia intercom systems in every coach, regenerative braking that saves up to 30% energy and a dual suspension system that ensures comfort even at high speeds. Despite running a non-sleeper version of Vande Bharat, the train fare is uncommonly high compared to other trains on the route, and that could be a dampener.