Indian Railways Will Launch Vande Metro By December 2023: Ashwini Vaishnaw

According to Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday, the Ministry of Railways is working on a plan to connect major cities across short distances with a metro rail network with the launch of the semi-high speed train Vande Bharat Express in a number of cities throughout the nation.

According to Vaishnaw, who is quoted by a news agency as stating,  "Vande Metro is being built with the concept that trains can run at a very high frequency, i.e., 4 or 5 times a day in cities with a distance of fewer than 100 kilometres, which is very comfortable and affordable. The train will be ready by December". He said that the reception Vande Bharat garnered served as the basis for the idea for running the Vande Bharat Metro.

"This will enable job seekers and students to get world-class transport from one city to another with saving time. Along with this, it will also help in reducing the pressure of congestion on local trains,"  he continued.

The Railway Minister stated, "In the last nine years, Prime Minister Modi has made many sectors a hub of exports. Be it defense, IT, electronics, today India has emerged as a big exporter in all these sectors". He claimed that the creation of testing tracks is crucial for India to become a significant supplier of railroads.

The train and the signaling system are tested using a variety of facilities on the test track under various conditions."The test track consists of several facilities wherein the train and the signaling system are tested on different parameters. Work on the test track is progressing at a fast pace. It will benefit a lot. Today, Vande Bharat is being discussed a lot, and India will emerge as its exporter in the coming times. For this, all the work of testing and testing must be on the test track,"  he continued.

It is noteworthy that a brand-new, 59-kilometer-long BG Dedicated Test Track is being built in Rajasthan's Jodhpur Division (approximately 70 kilometers from Jaipur). According to UIC-518/EN-14363, India would be the first country to have comprehensive testing facilities for rolling stocks.

A mainline (23 km), a high-speed loop at Gudha (13 km), an accelerated testing loop at Nawa (3 km), and a curve testing loop at Mithri (20 km) make up the project. The project is developing comprehensive testing facilities for rolling stocks and components, including testing of riding characteristics/behavior of the vehicles in accordance with UIC-518 and EN-14262 by dynamic measurements at semi-high speed, the investigation of rail-wheel interaction forces, crashworthiness testing, stability testing, curve testing, and accelerated testing of components.The test track also has a 220 Kmph OHE and all signaling systems available. In Rajasthan, facilities are being built that will be used to test rolling stocks made all over the world.

A 4.5 km long twisting track for evaluating rolling stock stability has been finished and put into service. The 3 km accelerated testing loop and 31.5 km high-speed stretch are now under construction and are expected to be finished by December 2023.

At the facilities being built at Nawa in Rajasthan, testing and trials of different rolling stocks, including semi-high-speed trains (Vande Bharat train sets), will begin in 2023–2024. The 20 km-long curve testing loop at Mithri is now undergoing advanced land acquisition, and by the end of 2024, this section will also be operational. Curve testing will be carried out at other designated Indian Railways portions up until that point.