Train 18 renamed as Vande Bharat Express

New Delhi, Metro Rail News: Train 18 has been renamed Vande Bharat Express, as an acknowledgment of its made-in-India status. The announcement was made by Railways Minister Piyush Goyal on Sunday.

“It is completely made in India and various names were suggested by the general public but we have decided to name it Vande Bharat Express. A gift on the occasion of the Republic Day to people. Will request the prime minister to flag it off,” said Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Sunday.

Today, Minister of Railways & Coal, Shri @PiyushGoyal announced the name Vande Bharat Express for India's first Semi-High Speed, Self-Propelled Train 18, acknowledging its made-in-India status, built under PM Shir @narendramodi 's Make in India initiative.#VandeBharatExpress pic.twitter.com/XRRt6azp16

— Metro Rail News (@MetroRailNewsIN) January 27, 2019

Indian Railways high-speed, engine-less train set named Train 18 (T18) will be rolled out soon. However, with all the world-class amenities, it’s being reported that the fares of train 18 might be costlier than Shatabdi Express. 

According to an IANS report, tickets of Train 18 might be 40-50% higher than the price of Shatabdi Express. 

Quoting officials close to the development, the report stated that the officials have approached Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) seeking time for the launch by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which is likely after the presentation of the budget. The first train is slated to run between New Delhi and Varanasi, the Prime Minister’s Lok Sabha constituency. 

While the railways had been saying that it had proposed two routes for the train, Delhi to Bhopal and Delhi to Varanasi, this is the first time that the route has been officially confirmed.

“We have successfully tested the train and the suggestions are being incorporated. Very soon the train will be dedicated to the nation and we have requested that Prime Minister Narendra Modi flag it off. This train will run between Delhi and Varanasi in eight hours and the fastest train between the two cities takes 11.30 hours,” Goyal said.

“This train has amenities of international standards, is Wi-Fi enabled, CCTV cameras and it has no locomotive or engine. It is a trainset. It will cover the 750-km route at a maximum speed of 160kmph,” said Goyal, who inspected the rake at the New Delhi railway station.