2024-05-11 00:31:44
New Delhi: Vande Bharat Express is a super premium train of Indian Railways. This train runs faster than Rajdhani and Shatabdi Express. That’s why its fare is higher than these trains. According to Railways, at present 102 services of Vande Bharat trains are operated in the country. How important this train is can be gauged from the fact that in whatever part of the country this train runs, it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi who gives the green signal to it. Even the country’s Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav cannot flag it off. The Railway Minister has asked a question about this train. His question is whether Congress wants to stop Vande Bharat?
What has Vaishnav written?
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav has posted a post on social media platform ‘X’ yesterday. In this post tweeted with the photo of Vande Bharat train, he has written, “The time has come to burst the bubble of lies of Congress. On May 7, the occupancy of Vande Bharat trains was 98%. In the financial year 2024-25 (May 7 Till now the occupancy is 103%. Does Congress want Vande Bharat to be closed?”
Why did this reaction occur?
This reaction has come after the statement of Kerala unit of Congress. Last Wednesday, Kerala Congress had said that after analyzing the booking data on the website of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), it shows that there is low occupancy in Vande Bharat. In response to this, the Railway Minister has given these figures.
Vande Bharat is becoming popular
According to information received from Railways, till March 31, 2024, more than 2 crore 15 lakh people have traveled by Vande Bharat train. The occupancy of Vande Bharat trains as on 07 May 2024 was 98%. Vande Bharat train services have received good response with average occupancy at 103% till May 7 in FY 2024-25. The total occupancy of Vande Bharat trains during the financial years 2022-23 and 2023-24 remained more than 96%.
Experience like air travel?
Railways claims that Vande Bharat Express is providing an experience like air travel to the people. This is the reason why people prefer to travel by Vande Bharat Express. Railway officials claim that in a way, Vande Bharat Express has become synonymous with development, modernity, stability and self-reliance.
284 districts of the country have joined Vande Bharat.
According to Railways, a total of 284 districts across the country have been connected to the service of Vande Bharat Express. This number will continue to increase in future. A total of 102 Vande Bharat trains are serving 100 routes on the railway network. If we look at the distance covered by Vande Bharat trains in the year 2023-24, i.e. the amount of up-down movement, then it has made about 310 rounds of the earth so far.
Sleeper Vande Bharat also
Considering the popularity of Vande Bharat among railway passengers, now preparations are underway to start Vande Bharat sleeper trains also. For this, work is going on very fast. This train has been made different from other trains. All coaches of Vande Bharat Express are equipped with automatic doors, GPS based passenger information system, Wi-Fi service and comfortable seats.