Indian Railways has begun the speed trials of the Vande Bharat trains in Chandigarh. The video of the train's trials on the Kota-Nagda section was shared by Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Twitter. The trains arrived in Chandigarh on August 18, 2022, from Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, where they were manufactured for the speed trial. It is to be noted that the third Vande Bharat train is being prepared to be operated between Delhi and Chandigarh, however final decision on the matter is still awaited. The video was shared on Twitter saying, "VandeBharat-2 speed trial started between Kota-Nagda section at 120/130/150 & 180 Kmph."
Furthermore, the video shows the train's speedometer hitting 180 kmph with ease. Later on, the video shows the train speeding past a railway station on the way. With the commencement of the speed trials, railways has come to a step closer to the goal of running 75 Vande Bharta trains in India.
#VandeBharat-2 speed trial started between Kota-Nagda section at 120/130/150 & 180 Kmph. pic.twitter.com/sPXKJVu7SI
— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) August 26, 2022
The new Vande Bharat train will be suitable for commercial operation following the success of two to three trials. The new Vande Bharat train has more passenger-friendly safety and comfort features. The support of the Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) or Kavach to prevent signal passing at danger (SPAD) incidents and risky scenarios deriving from overspeeding and train crashes in station areas will be the biggest safety improvement in the upgraded Vande Bharat trains.
The trains will also have a centralised coach monitoring system, which will allow a designated individual to keep an eye on all electrical and climate control systems in real-time. The new trains will have enhanced fiber-reinforced plastic, developed from materials used in aeroplanes, as a result of instances where cattle run-over caused substantial damage to the train exteriors.
