Vande Bharat Express - A Miracle of Modern India

The Vande Bharat Express

Introduced in 2019, the Vande Bharat express has truly been an amazing piece of railway ingenuity to be developed in several decades in India. The train was meant to substitute the short and medium distance trains like the Shatabdi which did not involve sleeping berths. The Vande Bharat not only exceeded the capability of the such trains it was meant to replace in terms of speed, but also in comfort. Today the train runs almost 25 services across India and is poised to add another 6 services shortly. Built at the Integral Coach Factory Chennai, it quickly captured the hearts and minds of people across the nation with its fully air-conditioned swanky interiors, streamlined exterior and high speed acceleration and deceleration capabilities. It was the first semi high speed train totally conceived, designed and manufactured in house by the RDSO (Research Design and Standards Organisation) of the Indian Railways. The tactful use of existing technology designed to provide flexibility and ease of maintenance provided high operational availability with low operating costs. Of course the tickets are a bit more expensive than other trains, but the pricing will improve when more train sets are added. The Vande Bharat not only became the face of Indian Railways in modern India but also evoked the interest of several foreign nations.

The Backstory of Travel in India

When was the last time you travelled by train? I mean the normal long distance type with berths in regular coaches with separate cars for air-conditioning. I think most of you might agree that for the last 30 years or so there has not been much of a change when it comes to train travel. The same old coaches with exactly same seating arrangements and never shortening travel times. There is absolutely no need to even discuss about the state of toilets on board. All previous governments had the same answer when the public questioned them about the state of Indian Railways - "The Indian Railways is a mass transport system which provides probably the only affordable long distance travel means to about 80% of the population in India at subsidised prices." That was all. There was no place for passenger comfort, better amenities, faster travel times least of all luxury. The common man was not in a position to enjoy better rail travel even if he was willing to pay for it. There simply was no alternative.

As much as I hate to admit it, the facts are true. India, with a population of more than a billion people with diverse geographic features and limited road connectivity had no mass transport system that could safely and reliably transport huge number of people across the vast distances other than trains. Aircrafts are not an option since there are limited number of airports and flying was and is still expensive to an extent. Since Independence, the Indian Rail was the only mass transport system that could support such a mission. Since then, it has transformed into a behemoth with one of the worlds largest rail track system and huge number of trains. The coaches more or less remained the same, but the locomotives became better. We moved from diesel to more electrification. The rail connectivity and frequency of trains improved. But that was it. There was no radical change in passenger comfort.

Enter Sudhanshu Mani

This man has to be one of the best things that happened to Indian Railways and to the public in general. A mechanical officer who was appointed as the general manager of Integral Coach Factory in Chennai, whose career spanned an impressive 38 years, had the audacity to dream big. To have such ambition and dreams to actually serve the nation is almost considered a blasphemy in the departments. Not because they have ill intent, but because of several departmental bottlenecks and setbacks. Any person who was willing to change the old ways was taking an enormous risk. Should the initiative be a success, he would be venerated, if not he would be axed from the department without second thought. Despite the risks involved, Sudhanshu Mani decided to go ahead with the design, development and execution of India's first high speed Electrical Multiple Unit train - The Train 18. The name comes from the fact that it was designed and developed within 18 months of conception. No mean feat for a governmental enterprise in India. To dream is one thing, but to inspire several hundred people working under you to initiate and complete the task is no mean feat in itself. For such exemplary achievement he is truly called the father of Vande Bharat Express.

Political Will

A lot of great initiatives which could have done a lot of good perished in the past due to a lack of political will. The real power centre which can make things happen lies here. Over several decades no body can fathom the number of great ideas and improvements that were condemned to the graveyard due to a lack of political will or support. The BJP Government under the leadership of PM Modi managed to identify the benefits and radical change the Vande Bharat concept would bring to the nation. Surely, it would add political mileage as well but that was merely a consequence. In fact while the proposal to manufacture the Vande Bharat trains were being debated, there was another storm brewing between two different departments in the Railways itself. The electrical and mechanical divisions of the Indian Railways were fiercely tussling with each other over a clearance certificate. While the mechanical department was responsible for the manufacture of the train, the electrical department was responsible for issuing a certificate of safety. However, in order to expedite the production process, the Chief Commissioner of Rail Safety issued the all clear without obtaining this certificate. This lead to an outrage from the electrical department and lead to a stalemate for several months. Such situations which create disturbances within such a vast organisation need to be approached delicately and settled with care. It was well handled by the Government without much publicity and the issue was resolved internally, paving the way for manufacture of Vande Bharat train sets in large numbers.

Vande Bharat Ticket Prices & Routes

The train has different pricing along different routes depending on the distance. There are two classes - the CC Chair Car (Economy) and the Executive Class (Business Class). You can click on this link with Goibibo for the complete pricing and destination list of Vande Bharat Express : Goibibo List