PRINCE KUMAR
Ranchi, Feb 5: Plans are afoot to roll out the high-speed Vande Bharat Express between Ranchi and Howrah by end of the year 2022.
Sources in the Eastern Railway Zone said preparations are underway to start the services by the end of 2022.
Chief Public Relation Officer of Eastern Railways, Eklavya Chakraborty said that the coaches of the Vande Bharat Express are being prepared which will go for a trial run in the month of July-August.
“Hopefully the train will be operational by the end of the year, which will reduce the time between the capitals of the two states, proving beneficial for the commuters of both the states,” Chakraborty said.
An insider in Ranchi railway divisional headquarters hinted that the Vande Bharat train might replace the existing Ranchi-Howrah Shatabdi Express which connects the capital cities of Jharkhand and West Bengal six days a week.
The 16-coach air-conditioned Vande Bharat Express will have both executive and non-executive chair cars and the fares will be 40%-50% higher than the base fare of Shatabdi Express.
However, for the Ranchi division, it will be tricky to maintain the speed of the train.
“The Vande Bharat Express usually operates at a speed of 130 km an hour. However, if the train runs between Ranchi and Howrah, its speed will have to be curtailed between Ranchi and Muri railway stretch which currently has maximum speed limits of up to 80 km an hour due to tech issues,” a senior railway official said.
While trains like Shatabdi Express, Intercity Express and Kriyayoga Express usually cover the 420 km distance between Ranchi and Howrah in seven hours, the Vande Bharat Express is expected to cover the distance in less than five hours.
The high-speed 16-coach Vande Bharat Express, which was first rolled out in 2018, can cruise at maximum speeds of 180 km an hour.
Currently, only two such trains are operational with one between New Delhi and Varanasi and the other between New Delhi and Katra (Jammu and Kashmir).
