Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday flagged off Rajasthan’s first Vande Bharat Express train.
The regular service of the train begins on April 12. It will run between Ajmer and Delhi Cantt, with stops at major cities like Jaipur, Alwar and Gurugram.
The Ajmer-Delhi Cantt Vande Bharat Express will be the first semi-high-speed passenger train in the High Rise Overhead Electric (OHE) sector.
It will cover the distance between Ajmer and Delhi Cantt in five hours and fifteen minutes. Presently, the fastest train on this route is Shatabdi Express.
Rajasthan’s Vande Bharat train is also expected to boost the socio-economic development in the region by improving connectivity to major tourist sites like Pushkar and Ajmer Sharif Dargah.
The train will have aircraft-style seats that offer better sitting and reclining comfort.
Four emergency windows will be available in every coach for easy evacuation of passengers in case of an untoward incident.
It will also have the indigenous system ‘Kavach’, which is an automatic train protection system to avoid train collisions.
All the classes have reclining seats, while executive coaches are also equipped with 180-degree rotating seats. These rotational seats can be aligned in the direction of travel.
There are 32-inch screens that arm travellers with audio-visual passenger information and provide them with infotainment.
The train has washrooms that are disabled-friendly and seat handles have seat numbers in Braille.
The train has automatic doors, fire sensors, CCTV cameras, onboard Wi-Fi facilities, three-hour battery backup and GPS. All its parts are made in India.