New Delhi: Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday said that Vande Bharat Express trains will transform the entire landscape of Indian Railways, in years to come. He said that Vande Bharat trains, currently running on small routes, will soon evolve into sleeper & Metro trains, thus transforming the whole mode of travel via trains & railways.
The Railway Minister explained the benefits & advantages of indigenously built Vande Bharat trains over existing fleet of old trains, while speaking at the Republic Summit.
#VaishnawAtRepublicSummit | Today’s India is an aspirational India. today’s youth wants the best in the country: Union Minister for IT & Railways @AshwiniVaishnaw at #RepublicSummit
Tune in here to watch – https://t.co/LybTtTRIBx#TimeOfTransformation | @RailMinIndia |… pic.twitter.com/F4EzlXRGyy
— Republic (@republic) April 26, 2023
Enlisting the world-class features & specification of Vande Bharat Express trains, Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the vision & objective behind roll-out of new fleet of trains is not about setting narratives or discourse but about meeting people’s aspirations & expectations.
“Today, the nation’s young population has big aspirations and it wants the best of everything. Vande Bharat trains are a step in this direction as it is providing world-class experience,” he said.
Counting its features, he said that Vande Bharat trains can accelerate from 0-100 km in just 52 seconds, much like Bullet trains which take 52 seconds.
“ If you keep a glass of water inside Vande Bharat, it will not spill. The noise level is measured 100 times less than what’s inside an aircraft,” Ashwini Vaishnaw told the Republic TV.
He said that people used to dream about travelling in swanky trains of Germany, Switzerland & Europe but that is now very much a reality in India now.
Why resistance against Vande Bharat? Minister explains
The Railway Minister also spoke about the resistance from people & challenges in rolling out these trains. He said that a certain political class was behind this opposition & ‘motivated’ resistance.
“For many decades, the political class persisted with age-old model of trains & never had a will to modernize the Railways. With launch of one after another Vande Bharat trains, they have developed cold feet & prompting others to raise voice. They want to keep India in dark ages,” the minister said.
