The Indian Railways will soon roll out a new set of trains called ‘Vande Metro’ – a combination of Vande Bharat trains and Electric Multiple Unit (EMUs) – for cities that are around 100 kilometres apart.
Speaking to News18 earlier this month, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had said that these Vande Metro trains will be operational by the end of the year.
“These are wonderful trains that are getting designed right now. Very soon we should see them rolling out. These trains will be a game changer,” he said.
The minister also added that before rolling out, these trains need to be tested. Another six months are required for finalising the design and testing. On being asked about the tentative time for these trains hitting the tracks, he said, “We can expect these trains around New Year.”
What is Vande Metro and why is it needed?
According to a ministry official, after introducing new chair car trains, that is Vande Bharat, it was also felt essential to upgrade other trains accordingly.
As part of the upgradation process, the ministry came up with the concept of Vande Metro trains – a modified and luxurious version of EMUs.
“The different look of the Vande Bharat is one of the reasons that makes it so popular. And we decided to do a similar experiment with the small-distance and long-distance trains as well,” the official said.
Vande Bharat trains are currently running between cities that are about 500-800 km apart, while the Metros will be for the cities that are situated at a distance of around 100 km.
These trains could be run on smaller routes such as Lucknow-Kanpur, Delhi-Meerut, Mumbai-Lonavala, or between Kolkata and Haldia or Chennai and Tirupati, the official added.
The official also said that while EMU trains are already operational on these smaller routes, Vande Metros will enhance the travel experience and will add to the passengers’ comfort.
“Around big cities like Delhi or Mumbai, people come from far away every day for work or for education. They take these EMUs. With the Vande Metro, we will be offering them comfort and faster travel,” the official explained.
The design of these trains is yet to be finalised, the official added.
These are likely to be eight-coach trains that will offer a better travel experience to daily commuters. The fully air-conditioned trains will operate somewhat like the Metro trains – running at a fixed interval depending upon peak and non-peak hours and the passengers will not have to plan their journey in advance.
Vande Metro will be a rapid world-class shuttle-like service and can also push tourism and the economy.
Chennai-based Integral Coach Factory (ICF) and Lucknow’s Research Design and Standard Organisation (RDSO) have been assigned the work of Vande Metro.
How is Vande Metro different from RRTS?
It is important to note that Vande Metros will be totally different from the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) that is being developed to connect the regional nodes in NCR.
RRTS is a new, dedicated, high-speed, high-capacity, comfortable commuter service. It is different from conventional railways as it will provide reliable, high-frequency, point-to-point regional travel. RRTS is also different from Metro as it caters to passengers looking to travel a relatively long distance with fewer stops and at a higher speed.
Explaining the difference between Vande Metro and RRTS, another ministry official said that while a lot of capital investment is required for RRTS, Vande Metros can run on existing tracks.
“You have to build new infrastructure for RRTS. This requires a lot of money as well as time. But we can use Vande Metros on the existing tracks. These Vande Metros will be at par with the RRTS trains as they will be faster, dedicated, and for longer routes up to 100 km,” the official said, asking for anonymity.
So, to put it simply, these Vande Metros can run between any two cities that are already connected by railway lines and have operational EMUs. While for RRTS, a new and dedicated corridor with stations and platforms has to be built.
Mumbai may get first Vande Metro
While the planning is in the very initial stage, Mumbai may be the first city to get these Vande Metro trains.
Vande Metro will be a part of the city’s famous local train network. Earlier this month, the Railway Board gave the nod for the procurement of 238 Vande Metros to upgrade the local train network.
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