A new livery for the Vande Bharat Express train has been revealed by the Railways, with a theme of Saffron and Grey colours. Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw posted photos of the train with the new colour scheme after visiting the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai.
While the coaches of the train have been painted saffron and grey, the front part of the locomotive is saffron and while, while its rear part is painted the same as the coaches. Other design elements, like the Indian Railways logo below the windshield of the locomotive, and the Vande Bharat Express branding on the side are the same as the existing blue and white themed trains.
According to railway officials, the new look train is the 28th rake of the Indian-built semi-high-speed Vande Bharat Express. The new saffron Vande Bharat Express is however not yet operational and is currently stationed at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, where Vande Bharat trains are manufactured.
Railways officials told ANI that a total of 25 rakes of Vande Bharat Express are operational on their designated routes and two rakes are reserved. “While the colour of this 28th rake is being changed on a trial basis,” they said.
Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday inspected the Integral Coach Factory, reviewed safety measures in Southern Railways, and also reviewed improvements in the Vande Bharat Express.
After conducting an inspection, the minister Vaishnaw said that the new colour of the 28th rake of the indigenous train is “inspired by Indian Tricolour”.
Inspected Vande Bharat train production at ICF, Chennai. pic.twitter.com/9RXmL5q9zR
— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) July 8, 2023
He added that a total of 25 improvements have done in the Vande Bharat trains.
“This is a concept of Make In India, (which means) designed in India, by our own engineers, and technicians. So whatever feedback we are receiving from the field units, regarding ACs, toilets, etc., during the operation of Vande Bharat, all those improvements are being used for making changes in the design,” the minister said in a press briefing.
“A new safety feature, ‘anti climbers’, or anti-climbing devices, on which we are working, were also reviewed today. These will be standard features in all the Vande Bharat and other trains,” he added.
On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off two new and upgraded versions of Vande Bharat Express trains– Gorakhpur-Lucknow and Jodhpur-Sabarmati–at Gorakhpur Station in Uttar Pradesh, taking the total operational service across the country to a significant milestone of 50.
The Vande Bharat Express, India’s semi-high-speed train set, now covers all states in the country with electrified tracks. With 50 operational services, the Vande Bharat Express has revolutionized rail travel in India, providing state-of-the-art amenities and reducing travel time for passengers.
The first Vande Bharat Express was flagged off on February 15, 2019, by the Prime Minister, running between New Delhi and Varanasi. Manufactured at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai and originally known as Train 18, the train symbolizes the ‘Make-In-India’ initiative and showcases India’s engineering prowess.
The project to manufacture indigenous semi-high-speed train sets began in mid-2017, and within 18 months, the ICF Chennai completed Train-18. It was renamed Vande Bharat Express in January 2019 to emphasize its made-in-India status. The train achieved a maximum speed of 180 kmph on the Kota-Sawai Madhopur section.
