Firming up the road map for the following three years, the Railways has prioritised the aim of putting the production of Vande Bharat coaches, also known as Trainsets, at a faster speed. Raising the bar, the Railways has set the ball rolling to manufacture more than 600 Vande Bharat coaches in 2022-23, while the aim is around 1,000 in 2023-24.

Besides Vande Bharat, the station redevelopment initiative is being taken up in a more focused approach so that some busy railway stations become hot spots for passengers with world-class amenities and lots of commercial activities. A senior railway official associated with the plan said that the redeveloped station strives to provide modern facilities for passengers while allowing commercial exploitation of the rail premises. Rejecting the costly European technology also known as the ETC Level-2 system, the Railways has opted for the indigenous train collision avoidance system (TCAS) to strengthen accident prevention measures in the rail network.

As per the official, TCAS is already operational in some regions as a pilot project. The goal is to develop the system in the entire rail network at a faster speed. On Vande Bharat, the official said these are the most modern coaches with better passenger facilities, so the goal is to operate as many Train Sets in multiple zones so the passengers would have a pleasant riding experience. Launched between New Delhi-Varanasi in February 2019, everyone welcomed Vande Bharat for its improved facilities. Second Vande Bharat was launched between New Delhi- Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra in October 2019. Vande Bharat is provided with a computer-controlled braking system, diffused lighting, GPS based onboard Infotainment, comfortable interiors, automatic doors and footsteps, stainless steel car body and 160 kmph speed. The train rakes will have 16 cars each, and Railways has granted an agreement in January 2021 to Medha for producing 44 rakes.

News Source : Ibef