NewDelhi: Vande Bharat Express on Delhi-Katra route is all set for its first commercial on Saturday (October 5). The train, which offers some hi-tech facilities to passengers, will cut the travel time between Delhi and Katra to just 8 hours, as compared to 12-14 hours required earlier to cover the distance of 655 km. It will run at a maximum speed of 130 kmph.
It will run every day except Tuesday. Vande Bharat Express, the base for the trip to Vaishno Devi, departs from the New Delhi Railway Station at 6 am to reach Katra at 2 pm. On the same day, it will commence its return journey from Katra at 3 pm and reach the national capital at 11 pm.
The Vande Bharat Express was flagged off by Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday for its inaugural run.
The train has three stops – Ambala, Ludhiana and Jammu Tawi.
The decision to run the indigenously built the high-speed train was taken following the success of the Vande Bharat Express which runs between New Delhi and Varanasi.
The dynamic pricing principle hasn’t been applied on the Vande Bharat Express. The minimum fare in the chair car is Rs 1,630 while the fare for the executive chair car is Rs 3,015.
Vande Bharat Express has been equipped with a sturdy aluminium-clad nose cover. To guard the window shields against stone-pelting, a special film on windows has been provided. More space has been provided to store meals for passengers. Changes have also been made in the exterior and interior designs. A slew of modern features like adjustable seats, improved washbasins, automatic doors, WiFi and infotainment system have been added too. Also, the seats can be adjusted to 180 degrees.