First 20-coach Vande Bharat Express train begins trial run on Ahmedabad-Mumbai route at 130 kmph

Ahmedabad: A 20-coach Vande Bharat Express train ran for the first time on the railway tracks today. The trial run of the first 20-coach Vande Bharat train on the Ahmedabad-Mumbai route has commenced. This new 20-coach semi-high-speed train is being tested at a speed of 130 kmph, having departed from Kalupur Railway Station at 7 am today.

The trial run will conclude upon reaching Mumbai Central at 12:15 pm, following the Ahmedabad-Vadodara-Surat route. Currently, Vande Bharat trains operate with 16 coaches between major cities and 8 coaches between smaller cities across the country. Two Vande Bharat trains with 16 coaches each are currently running between Ahmedabad and Mumbai. Given the 100% occupancy and positive response to the Vande Bharat trains, the country’s first 20-coach Vande Bharat train will be introduced if the trial run proves successful.

The train is being tested with 20 coaches at a speed of 130 kmph to assess whether the increase in the number of coaches affects speed and travel time from Ahmedabad to Mumbai Central. For the trial run of the 20-coach Vande Bharat train from Ahmedabad, 4 additional C coaches have been added to the existing 14C + 2E coaches.

RPF personnel have been deployed at railway crossings and stations between Ahmedabad and Mumbai to manage any emergency situations. DeshGujarat