Chennai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday flagged off three new Vande Bharat trains connecting important cities and places of historical importance.
"The three Vande Bharat trains were launched today and these are going to connect the country's important cities and historically important places. Temple City Madurai will now be directly connected to the IT City Bengaluru. This will benefit both pilgrims and employees. Similarly, the Chennai to Nagercoil Vande Bharat connectivity will benefit students, farmers, and working professionals," PM Modi said.
During the virtual inauguration of new Vande Bharat Express trains namely Chennai to Nagercoil, Madurai to Bengaluru and Meerut to Lucknow, PM Modi said, "Passengers across the country will get Vande Bharat Sleeper and Vande Bharat Metro facilities very soon."
"India is witnessing a transformation in its railway stations, with even smaller ones being upgraded to modern facilities like airports. This enhances the 'ease of travel', further boosting the connectivity," he pointed out.
Currently, over 100 trains including these three new Vande Bharat trains are operational that connect more than 280 districts across the country. The first Vande Bharat train was introduced on February 15, 2019, under the "Make in India" initiative.
These train services help to enhance regional connectivity that boost economical growth and tourism across the country, he added.
For the safety point of view, the indigenously made Vande Bharat trains are equipped with advanced safety features including "Kavach" technology, CCTV cameras, emergency talk-back units, interlocked doors, Vehicle Control Computer system, electro-pneumatic brake system, 360° rotating chairs, Divyangjan-friendly toilets, and integrated Braille signages, he further said.
Vande Bharat trains have advanced features with a reduction of 15 per cent in energy consumption due to advanced air conditioning and photo-catalytic UV air purification for enhanced onboard air quality.
Besides this, it has luxurious amenities including side recliner seats, 180-degree swivel seats in executive coach, continuous windows for panoramic views, onboard Wi-Fi, GPS-based passenger information, LED lighting and bio-vacuum toilets.
These three new Vande Bharat trains will provide the people of the region world-class means to travel with speed and comfort and will cater to three states, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka.
Chennai Egmore – Nagercoil Vande Bharat is the first Vande Bharat connecting the scenic town of Nagercoil with Chennai. This train will cover 726 km in the state of Tamil Nadu and will provide modern and faster train travel experience to the people across 12 districts of Tamil Nadu viz Kanniyakumari, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Virudhunagar, Madurai, Dindigul, Trichy, Perambalur, Cuddalore, Villupuram, Chengalpattu and Chennai.
This train service will facilitate pilgrims travelling to the divine Arulmigu Meenakshi Amman Temple, Madurai and Kumari Amman Temple, Kanniyakumari.
The train covering 726.06 kms in a duration of 8 hrs 50 min is the fastest service in Chennai Tiruchchirappalli Madurai- Nagercoil corridor, saving almost 2 hours compared to the existing faster trains.
Madurai-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express is the first Vande Bharat Train connecting Madurai with Bengaluru via Tiruchchirappalli route. This train service will connect the bustling temple city of Madurai in Tamil Nadu with the cosmopolitan city of Bengaluru, also the state capital of Karnataka. It will also facilitate businessmen, students and other working personnels in commuting from their native places in Tamil Nadu to the metropolitan city Bengaluru.
The Meerut City-Lucknow Vande Bharat Express will boost religious tourism in the region by providing faster mode of commutation to the pilgrimage sites like Digambar Jain Temple, Mansa Devi Mandir, Surajkund Temple, Augharnath Temple, Hanuman Chowk Mandir in Meerut and Chandrika Devi Temple, Bhoothnath Mandir, Buddheshwar Mahadev Temple in Lucknow.
The Sports goods, musical instruments, sugar, and electronics industries of Meerut region will get a major boost with the advent of swift connectivity to the capital of Uttar Pradesh by Vande Bharat Express train.
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