Fourth Vande Bharat Express Train launched on Una - New Delhi Railway Route

The fourth in the Vande Bharat Express series which will connect Una to New Delhi and vice-versa will reduce travel time between Una, Chandigarh and New Delhi and also comes equipped with advanced safety features.

India’s fourth Vande Bharat train is said to be lighter and capable of reaching higher speeds in a shorter duration of time. The travel time from Una to New Delhi will reportedly be reduced by two hours.

This train will run between Amb Andaura to New Delhi and will be operational six days a week, except on Friday, with stops at Ambala, Chandigarh, Anandpur Sahib, and Una Himachal. Apart from providing a comfortable and faster mode of travel, the train is expected to help promote tourism in the region.

"Train No. 22447/22448 New Delhi- Amb Andaura- New Delhi Vande Bharat Express shall commence its regular service from 19th October, 2022. This train will run six days a week (except Friday). Vande Bharat Express is a train set rake of 16 Coaches comprising of Executive Class and Chair Car coaches," said the official release.

Fare structure of Train 22447 (New Delhi - Amb Andaura) Vande Bharat Express from New Delhi to Amb Andaura is as under:

• Executive Class – Rs 2045 (with Catering), Rs. 1890 (without catering)
• Chair Car- Rs 1075 (with Catering), Rs 955 (without catering)

Fare structure of Train 22448 (Amb Andaura - New Delhi) Vande Bharat Express from Amb Andaura to New Delhi is as under:

• Executive Class – Rs 2240 (with Catering), Rs. 1890 (without catering)
• Chair Car- Rs 1240 (with Catering), Rs 955 (without catering)

The new Vande Bharat Express trains – this one and the Gandhinagar Capital - Mumbai Central train — have been dubbed ‘Vande Bharat 2.0’ because of certain upgrades they have received over their predecessors, the trains running from Delhi to Varanasi and Katra.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had earlier said that like popular smartphones, the Vande Bharat Train will come with upgrades and a new “version” with each series production, even though the name will remain the same.

The 16-coach new trainsets cost around Rs 115 crores more than the previous version. The specifications underwent an overhaul taking into account feedback on the trains running for the past three years.

Equipped with more advancements, Vande Bharat 2.0 trains can reach a speed of 0 to 100 kilometres per hour in just 52 seconds, with a top speed of up to 180 kilometres an hour. The trains weigh around 392 tonnes, 38 tonnes lighter than the previous versions.

It also has a better riding index (lower the better) of 3.26 at 180 km per hour, from the earlier 3.87. At a standard speed of 115 km per, its riding index is 3.26, better than the 3.62 attained at the same speed by the earlier version. Riding index is a global benchmark for rolling stock. In layman’s terms, how comfortable and steady the passenger is while the train is in motion is roughly the idea behind a riding index.

Vande Bharat 2.0 trains come fitted with the Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) called KAVACH, which the previous trains did not have. Coaches are equipped with disaster lights with a battery backup of three hours.

The exterior of train has eight flatform-side cameras, up from four. There is also a passenger-guard communication facility in coaches, which comes with an automatic voice recording feature.

According to Indian Railways, The new train set is higher, making it safe from floods up to 650 mm, up from 400 mm.