PM Modi flags off Secunderabad-Tirupati Vande Bharat Express

SECUNDERABAD: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday flagged off Secunderabad-Tirupati Vande Bharat Express from Secunderabad Railway Station here.

The latest in the Vande Bharat trains will reduce the travel time between the two cities by almost three-and-a-half hours, particularly benefitting pilgrims of both the Telugu states.

This is the first Vande Bharat Express of India connecting Tirupati -- a city in Andhra Pradesh which is home to the important Hindu shrine of Tirumala Venkateswara Temple and other historic temples. This is India's 13th Vande Bharat Express which will run between Secunderabad in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh's Tirupati.

The new semi-high speed train connects the IT city Hyderabad with Tirupati. This is the second Vande Bharat train to start from Telangana within three months. Earlier in January, PM Modi had flagged off India's eighth Vande Bharat Express between Secunderabad and Visakhapatnam.

The inauguration of the train on the new route comes one week after the Prime Minister flagged off the latest Vande Bharat on the Bhopal-New Delhi route. The Secunderabad-Tirupati Vande Bharat Express has stops at Nalgonda, Guntur, Ongole, and Nellore stations while it covers its 660 km journey between the cities.

The train will cut the commuting time between the two cities by almost three and a half hours. Besides, it takes less than a minute or 52 seconds for the train to touch at a speed of 100 kmph.

The new Vande Bharat Express is equipped with CCTV cameras, power backup, GPS-based information systems and vacuum toilets. PM Modi also laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of Secunderabad Railway Station. The train will make travel seamless for those visiting the spiritual city of Tirupati from Hyderabad.

The Secunderabad to Tirupati Vande Bharat will depart at 6 am and reach the destination (Tirupati) at 2:30 pm. The train will cover the whole distance in 8 hours and 30 minutes, which is much less as compared to the 12 hours taken by most of the existing services.

It is pertinent to note that Vande Bharat Train is an indigenously manufactured, semi-high speed and self-propelled train set. The train is equipped with state-of-the-art passenger amenities. It will provide a faster, more comfortable and more convenient travel experience to rail users.

Vande Bharat 2.0 is equipped with more advancements and improved features such as reaching a speed of 0 to 100 kilometres per hour in just 52 seconds, whereas, the time to reach 160 kmph is 129 seconds and a maximum speed of up to 180 kilometres per hour.

The improved Vande Bharat Express will weigh 392 tons when compared to the previous version of 430 tons. It will also have a Wi-Fi content on-demand facility. Every coach has 32 screens providing passenger information and infotainment compared to 24 in the previous version. Vande Bharat Express will also be environmentally friendly as the ACs will be 15 per cent more energy efficient.

With dust-free clean air cooling of the traction motor, travel will become more comfortable. A side recliner seat facility provided only to Executive Class passengers earlier will now be made available for all classes.

Executive Coaches have the added feature of 180-degree rotating seats. In the new design of Vande Bharat Express, a photo-catalytic ultraviolet air purification system is installed in the Roof-Mounted Package Unit (RMPU) for air purification.

As recommended by Central Scientific Instruments Organisation (CSIO), Chandigarh, this system is designed and installed on both ends of RMPU to filter and clean the air free from germs, bacteria, viruses etc. coming through fresh air and return air.

The Vande Bharat Express 2.0 offers various superior and aircraft-like travelling experiences. It is equipped with advanced state-of-the-art safety features including an indigenously developed Train Collision Avoidance System - KAVACH.