FAST TRACKING VANDE BHARAT

TOPIC: Economy

Context- The Budget has announced 400 more of these semi-high-speed trains in the next 3 years.

Concept-

What’s Vande Bharat

The Train18, later named Vande Bharat is a semi-high speed trainset, each of 16 coaches, and self-propelled — they do not require an engine.
This is called a distributed traction power system, which is increasingly becoming the norm the world over for passenger operations.
- Distributed power gives the train higher acceleration and deceleration compared to loco-hauled trains, which take a much longer time to reach top speed or to gradually come to a halt.
The current Vande Bharat trains have seating only in two classes — chair car and executive chair car. Railways is already in the process of making 102 new VandeBharats, which will be an upgrade from the current two Vande Bharat train sets.
Railways is looking at making several of these trainsets with aluminium instead of steel. An aluminium body will make each train set around 40-80 tonnes lighter than a current Vande Bharat.