UNA (Himachal Pradesh), Oct 13: The New Delhi-Una Vande Bharat train was flagged
off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Himachal Pradesh on Thursday.
The semi-high-speed train will run between Amb Andaura station in Una and New
Delhi on all days, except Wednesdays. It will have stops at Ambala, Chandigarh,
Anandpur Sahib and Una. It will take around five hours to reach Una and three
hours to Chandigarh, from New Delhi. The total distance is 412 km.
Train 22447 will start at 5:50 am from New Delhi and will reach Amb Andaura
railway station in Una at 11:05 am and the train 22448 will depart from Amb
Andaura at 1 pm to reach New Delhi at 6:25 pm. However, a final time table and
the regular schedule are yet to be worked out.
This is the fourth Vande Bharat train. The three others launched earlier were
New Delhi-Varanasi, New Delhi-Katra and Gandhinagar-Mumbai. The new Una train
is an advanced version of the earlier Vande Bharat trains. It is lighter and
accelerates to 100 km per hour in just 52 seconds.
New features
The improved features include reclining seats, automatic fire sensors, CCTV
cameras, on-demand content with wifi Facility, three-hour battery backup and
GPS systems. It also has a photocatalytic ultraviolet air purification system.
The coaches will have 32” screens providing passenger information and infotainment
compared to 24” in the previous version. Vande Bharat Express will also be environmentally
friendly as the ACs will be 15 per cent more energy efficient. With dust-free
clean air cooling of the traction motor, travel will become more comfortable.
A side recliner seat facility provided only to Executive Class passengers earlier
will now be made available for all classes. Executive Coaches have the added
feature of 180-degree rotating seats.
The new train is equipped with advanced state-of-the-art safety features including
an indigenously developed Train Collision Avoidance System - KAVACH.
The Integral Coach Factory will deliver 75 more such Vande Bharat trains by
August 2023. This is the latest model on Indian railways.
The new train is expected to boost tourism in the region. It would also help
pilgrims and devotees visiting religious places in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab
and Haryana, the Railways Ministry said.
Himachal Pradesh goes to polls later this year.
