Vande Bharat likely to be extended till Jammu
After the decision of the Ministry of Railways to carve out a separate Jammu division, the Amritsar-Delhi Vande Bharat Express train is now likely to be extended up till Jammu. Over an year after the Amritsar-Delhi Vande Bharat Express train was started, announcement for its extension is likely to be made on January 26, said sources in the Railways.
A separate Jammu division for the Railways would mean it would have around 742 km of the Ferozepur division, including Pathankot-Jammu-Udhampur, Bhogpur-Sirwal-Pathankot, Batala-Pathankot and Pathankot-Jogindar Nagar under its jurisdiction. It would certainly curtail the area under the Ferozepur division significantly.
The Amritsar-Delhi Vande Bharat Express train, which was inaugurated virtually by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 6 last year, has a seating capacity for 530 in the chair car and the executive class. The eight-coach express train, providing vital connectivity between the border district and the National Capital, would also see expansion in coaches, thereby increasing its seating capacity.
The train has 44 executive class seats. It covers around 450 km in 5.30 hours. The train offers reduced commuting time between two destinations by at least 30 minutes as Shatabdi covers it in around six hours. Barring Friday, the express train would run six days a week. The train has halts at Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Ambala and other stations.
Trains used in Vande Bharat do not have locomotives. Each alternate coach has an in-built system to convert the electric power into mechanical energy to run the train. A “Make in India” product, Vande Bharat Express train is considered the best in the existing facilities of the Indian Railways.
As per process, a pantograph installed over the rooftop from which the train draws electricity from overhead power cables and passes it to the traction converter which converts electricity into mechanical energy that runs the train.
