After Indian Railways’ Vande Bharat, India’s standards are now an international benchmark

• From startups and IT to now producing world-class trains, the country is emerging as a leader in many areas.
• Every unit of Vande Bharat Express is estimated to be 40 per cent cheaper than European ones. Moreover, the publication also said that the new Indian Railways braking saves 30 per cent of electrical energy.
• It is clear that the Vande Bharat Express has proven the naysayers wrong. It has also redefined the way the Indian Railways function and how people perceive the introduction of new innovations.

India is now emerging as a trendsetter from being a mere follower. From startups and IT to now producing world-class trains, the country is emerging as a leader in many areas.

“A boost to Indian Railways: India’s standards are now an International benchmark as per an International publication,” tweeted My Gov India handle.

It was quoting a report of The Saudi Gazette which stated that Indian Railways’ Vande Bharat Express has given a new impetus to the Modi government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative. Every unit of Vande Bharat Express is estimated to be 40 per cent cheaper than European ones. Moreover, the publication also said that the new Indian Railways braking saves 30 per cent of electrical energy.

The stellar performance of the Vande Bharat express coupled with other dimensions of the Indian railways’ efforts is sure to propel the national transporter towards a more efficient and passenger-friendly future.

The Vande Bharat Express which has clearly set a new milestone in the history of the Indian Railways came into the picture in 2018 when the Railways decided to bring a major change by replacing Shatabdi Express with ‘Train 18’ (Vande Bharat Express). The ultra-modern ‘Train 18’ is engineless, the coaches are self-propelled like metro and are indigenously made at Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai. The train is equipped with digital platforms, onboard Wi-Fi services and high-end interiors.

Read More: Vande Bharat Express creates punctuality record

Indian Railways over the past few years has been witnessing a rapid improvement in services and facilities. To improve the safety of railway operations according to a press release by the Ministry of Railways 2132 ROBs/RUBs (Road Over and Road Under Bridges) were completed between 2014 and 2016, at an average of 1066 per year, as compared to an average of 763 per year in previous five years. Also, 2433 unmanned level crossings were eliminated between 2014 and 2016 at an average of 1217 per year, as compared to 1139 per year in the previous five years.

In another major milestone, Indian Railways has successfully turned 1,600 railway stations across India into Rail Wire Wi-Fi zones. The national transporter has added 600 railway stations on the Wi-Fi map in a short span of 10 days. Mumbai’s Santacruz rail station located in the suburban section is the 1600th rail station in the country to have access to free public Wi-Fi.

Also Read: Piyush Goyal’s strong response to Chinese consortium of companies wanting to build Vande Bharat express trains

Under the Swachh Rail Swachh Bharat Campaign, IR has also been successful in Improving the cleanliness of stations.  As per ‘Swachh Rail Swachh Bharat Cleanliness Report 2018, there has been a 17.6 per cent improvement in the cleanliness scores of A1 and A standard stations in comparison to 2017. In terms of zonal performance, 6 zones have improved their cleanliness score by 20 per cent in comparison to last year.

It is clear that the Vande Bharat Express has proven the naysayers wrong. It has also redefined the way the Indian Railways function and how people perceive the introduction of new innovations. The success of the indigenously produced engineering marvel has showcased the true potential of the Indian Railways and Make In India.