‘Could’ve Done With A Vande Bharat’: Jaishankar Recalls PM Modi’s Train Ride To Kyiv

External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Saturday said he ‘could have done with a Vande Bharat’ when asked about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s train ride to Kyiv.

The minister had accompanied PM Modi on his maiden visit to Kyiv aboard the Rail Force One, as Ukraine remained engaged in a military conflict with Russia.

PM Modi had earlier this month also travelled to Poland and had taken a train from there for the Ukrainian capital where he held meetings with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Jaishankar said it was a 10-hour journey each way. “I could have done with a Vande Bharat. It was 10 hours each way, and I think, given the situation, obviously, you got what you got, but 10 hours is 10 hours," he said while speaking at a session at the ET World Leaders Forum.

He also said he does not recall PM Modi taking a long train ride like the one he took earlier this month during his foreign visit.

“I remember Prime Minister Narendra Modi going on a Shinkansen bullet train in Japan, I often cannot remember any other train ride at least for a long time," he said.

Other than Prime Minister Modi, several other leaders have used the Train Force One to visit Kyiv. US President Joe Biden used the train during his 2023 visit to Kyiv. French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi in 2022 travelled to Ukraine by this train. President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada also visited Ukraine via this train.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo also visited Kyiv via a train.

Built in 2014 to cater to tourists in Crimea, Rail Force One resembles a luxurious hotel on rails. It features a spacious table for meetings, comfortable sofas and a wall-mounted television.

In terms of safety, the train is designed to safeguard its VIP passengers. It boasts armoured windows, advanced communication systems and is equipped to withstand the toughest situations. It includes surveillance systems, a secure communication network and a dedicated security team on board.