Modi claims railways in Telangana, AP got facelift under NDA govt

SECUNDERABAD: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who virtually flagged off the Vande Bharat Express from the Secunderabad Railway Station on Sunday, claimed that exceptional work had been done with regard to railways in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in the last eight years under the NDA government at the Centre. He said that during the eight years prior to 2014, the budgetary allocation of Railways for Telangana was less than Rs 250 crore and said that, today, it had increased to Rs 3,000 crore.

Delivering his virtual address to those present on the occasion, the Prime Minister sought to highlight various railway projects initiated by his government. He said that many areas of Telangana like Medak were now connected by rail service for the first time. “Less than 125 km of new rail lines were built in Telangana in the eight years before 2014. About 325 km of new rail lines were laid in Telangana in the last eight years since NDA came to power at the Centre,” he said.

He also informed that the work of ‘track multi-tracking’ of more than 250 km had also been done in Telangana, adding that the electrification of railway tracks in the state had gone up three times during this period. “Very soon, we are going to complete the electrification work on all broad gauge routes in Telangana”, the Prime Minister said.

Narendra Modi observed that the Vande Bharat was also connected to Andhra Pradesh from one end and informed that the Centre was continuously working to strengthen the rail network in Andhra Pradesh. Highlighting the efforts of his Government to boost the Ease of Living as well as the Ease of Doing Business, the Prime Minister noted that in the past few years, the construction of 350 km of new railway lines and about 800 km of multi-tracking had been completed in Andhra Pradesh. He observed that only 60 km of railway tracks were electrified annually in Andhra Pradesh during the previous government prior to 2014 and informed that this speed had now increased to more than 220 km annually.

The Prime Minister said that traveling by Indian Railway was becoming a pleasant experience now. Many Railway Stations reflect the image of modern India. “Work done in the last 7-8 years will transform the Indian Railway in the coming 7-8 years”, he said. Modi elaborated on the measures like vistadome coaches and heritage trains to promote tourism, Kisan Rail to carry agricultural produce to far-flung markets. More than two dozen cities have got Metro network and a futuristic rapid rail transit system is emerging fast, he added.

Vande Bharat 2.0 much lighter

This is the eighth Vande Bharat Express to be introduced by Indian Railways and is the first one connecting the two Telugu-speaking states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, covering a distance of around 700 km.

The indigenously designed train set of Vande Bharat Express is equipped with state-of-the-art passenger amenities. It will provide a faster, more comfortable and more convenient travel experience to rail users.

The introduction of the train will help boost tourism in the region and provide a comfortable and faster mode of travel. This will be the eighth Vande Bharat train to be introduced in the country and is an advanced version compared to the earlier ones, being much lighter and capable of reaching higher speeds in a shorter duration. Vande Bharat 2.0 is equipped with more advancements and improved features such as reaching a speed of 0 to 100 km per hour in just 52 seconds, and a maximum speed of up to 180 km per hour. The improved Vande Bharat Express will weigh 392 tonnes when compared to the previous version with 430 tonnes. It will also have a Wi-Fi content on-demand facility. Every coach has 32” screens providing passenger information and infotainment compared to 24” in the previous version.

Vande Bharat Express is also environmentally friendly as the ACs are touted to be 15 percent more energy efficient. With dust-free clean air cooling of the traction motor, travel will become more comfortable. A side recliner seat facility provided only to Executive Class passengers earlier will now be made available for all classes. Executive Coaches have the added feature of 180-degree rotating seats.

In the new design of Vande Bharat Express, a photo-catalytic ultraviolet air purification system is installed in the Roof-Mounted Package Unit (RMPU) for air purification. As recommended by Central Scientific Instruments Organisation (CSIO), Chandigarh, this system is designed and installed on both ends of RMPU to filter and clean the air free from germs, bacteria, viruses etc. coming through fresh air and return air.

The Vande Bharat Express 2.0 offers various superior and aircraft-like travelling experiences. It is equipped with advanced state-of-the-art safety features including an indigenously developed Train Collision Avoidance System - KAVACH.