Vande Bharat Express to Have Narendra Modi As First Passenger? PM to Flag Off Train 18 From Delhi to Varanasi Soon
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to be one of the first passengers of Train 18 aka Vande Bharat Express soon. Reports say that the Prime Minister is set to flag off India's fastest train soon and travel on board from Delhi to his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi.
New Delhi, February 6: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to be one of the first passengers of Train 18 aka Vande Bharat Express soon. Reports say that the Prime Minister is set to flag off India's fastest train soon and travel on board from Delhi to his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi. It is being said that the train will be flagged off after the Budget Session of Parliament ends, i.e., ahead of Lok Sabha Elections 2019. Reports say that if PM Modi spares time, the Vande Bharat Express may even be flagged off sooner. Train 18: Visuals From The Inside of 'Vande Bharat Express'; Watch Video.
In the trial runs, the Made-In-India train has clocked a speed of 180 km/hr, making it faster than the Shatabdi Express. Apart from reducing the travel time, the new train also promises to offer the passengers the next level of comfort. 'Train 18 Will Be Known as Vande Bharat Express', Says Railway Minister Piyush Goyal.
On Friday, Train 18 was attacked with stones during its trial run. According to reports, miscreants pelted stones on the new Train 18 while it was on its trial run. The Railways informed that the incident took place when the train left Sakurbasti at around 11:03 pm on Friday to reach New Delhi to begin its trial run to Allahabad.
Train 18: Here are 10 things about India's Fastest Train Vande Bharat Express:
The Northern Railways in its statement said that on reaching New Delhi station, the escort party informed about stone pelting. It said that the second coach from the front was hit near Sadar area under DLT(Delhi Lahori Gate) post. "A railway servant present in T-18 informed the escort party that a stone hit the window glass of coach no.188320 of T-18," an official said.
The 16-coach Vande Bharat Express was built in 18 months at a cost of Rs 97 crore by the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai. It is regarded as a successor to the 30-year-old Shatabdi Express. It's also the first locomotive-less or engine-less train in the country.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 06, 2019 10:13 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).