Indian Railways and the Central Government are working on improving the railway network across India. As a part of this development plan, the transportation organisation has been increasing the semi-high-speed Vande Bharat Trains in India. Currently, the train is operational on eight routes spread across different parts of India. To extend the services of the train further, the railways plans on launching more Vande Bharat Express trains in India. These new trains will be introduced in Southern India as per PTI's report.
The launch of these new trains is in sync with the government's goal of having 75 Vande Bharat trains by the end of 2023. The organisation also plans on further increasing the number to 400 over the next three years.
The Vande Bharat Express, also known as Train 18, is an electric multiple-unit, semi-high-speed intercity train run by the Indian Railways. It takes only 52 seconds to reach 100 km/h. A sleeper version of the Vande Bharat trains, with a top speed of 220 kmph, is also being developed by Indian Railways. For increased operational safety, the Vande Bharat 2.0 trains are equipped with the KAVACH.
It is to be noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the last of the Vande Bharat Trains between Secunderabad and Visakhapatnam. This train passes through the two Telugu-speaking states, making it the second train in South India. The first Vande Bharat train in South India was flagged off on the Chennai-Bengaluru-Mysuru route.