Vande Bharat trains to cover all states by June: Rail minister Vaishnaw

Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday said that Vande Bharat trains will start covering all the states by June.

Addressing a press conference in the national capital, the Railway Minister said that they have a target to connect 200 cities with the Vande Bharat train by the middle of the next year, adding that the production work is going at a fast pace.

He said, "Vande Bharat trains will start covering all the states by June. We have a target to connect 200 cities with Vande Bharat by the middle of next year. Production work is going at a fast pace for the implementation of the project."

Meanwhile, on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off Goa's first Vande Bharat Express from Madgaon railway station. PM Modi will join the flagging-off ceremony through video conferencing.

Also Read: Goa to get its first Vande Bharat on Saturday. Check timings, fare, travel time

The state-of-the-art Vande Bharat Express will improve the connectivity in the Mumbai - Goa route and provide the people of the region the means to travel with speed and comfort.

The train will be the 19th Vande Bharat train to run in the country.

The first Vande Bharat Express train was flagged off on February 15, 2019, on the New Delhi Kanpur-Allahabad-Varanasi route.

The Vande Bharat Express can run up to a maximum speed of 160 kmph.

In his address to the nation on August 15, 2021, from the ramparts of the Red Fort, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that during the 75 weeks of the Amrit Mahotsav of Independence, 75 Vande Bharat trains will connect every corner of the country.

In the Union Budget 2022-23, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that four hundred new-generation Vande Bharat Trains will be manufactured during the next three years.