‘Train 18’ renamed as ‘Vande Bharat Express’

The 'Train 18' has been renamed; Minister of Railway Piyush Goyal said on Sunday that the 'Train 18' will be known as 'Vande Bharat Express', which is completely made in India.

According to Goyal, the world-class train 'Train 18' is an excellent example of Modi government's 'Make in India' initiative.

As per his statements, the first 'Train 18' train will ply between New Delhi and Varanasi, with Kanpur and Allahabad as the intermediate stops. The train will take 8 hours to complete this route – as per Railways reports.

The 16-coach fully air-conditioned train manufactured at Integral Coach Factory in Chennai, built in 18 months at a cost of Rs 97 crore, is also first engine less train in the country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to flag off the train soon as the much-awaited train has got provisional 3 months clearance from the Electrical Inspector to the Government (EIG).

The train has two types of coaches – executive (2) and non-executive (14). It offers all advanced facilities like on-board WiFi and infotainment etc.