India just took a giant step toward the future of mass transit as the Prime Minister officially opened the most current Vande Bharat train. A new age of quicker, safer, and more comfortable rail travel for passengers is anticipated with the introduction of the new Vande Bharat Express trains, also known as Vande Bharat 2.0.
Vande Bharat 2.0?
Despite sharing the same name, the third train in the Vande Bharat series has been given the moniker “Vande Bharat 2.0” due to some improvements over its forerunners.
Notable upgrades in 2.0
- Greater speed and lighter weight: This train accelerates to its top speed of 160 km/h in 129 seconds, almost 16 seconds quicker than its predecessor. This is due to the fact that this train needs to travel about a mile less to reach its top speed because it weighs 392 tonnes, which is 38 tonnes less than the previous train.
- Riding Index Has Been Improved: It now has a riding index (lower the better) of 3.26 at 180 km/h, down from 3.87 previously. Its riding index is 3.26 at a standard speed of 115 km/h, which is higher than the preceding vehicle’s 3.62 at the same pace. Riding index, to put it simply, is a method of measuring how secure and at ease a passenger is when riding a train.
- Automated anti-collision system “Kavach” installed: The new train has the automatic anti-collision system Kavach installed, a feature that the earlier trains lacked.
- enhanced safety attributes: Disaster lights are equipped with coaches, and their battery backup has grown from the previous one’s hour. There are now eight flatform-side cameras on the outside, up from four.
- Passenger-guard communication system: Coaches have a system for passenger-guard communication that includes an automatic voice recording feature.
- Making it more resistant to flooding: The new trainset is higher and is now protected from floods up to 650 mm, an increase from 400 mm.
- Better network performance and higher-quality audiovisual streaming: Another recent addition is a centralised coach monitoring system, which uses CCTV cameras and an internal network that can handle data at a rate of one gigabyte per second.
- Air purification system: The internal air is filtered using a photo catalytic ultra violet air purification system with a UV lamp that, according to the Railways, renders 99 percent of germs inactive. Earlier trainsets lacked this technology.
- Onboard infotainment: It also has a wifi-enabled onboard infotainment system and the LCD display in each coach is now 32 inches, up from the 24-inch screen.
@the-end
The Vande Bharat train would give passengers a ‘aviation-like travelling experience’, but it would be even quieter than an aeroplane, as attested by the Prime Minister, according to a senior railway official, who proudly described its ‘superior’ qualities. But in order to accomplish the goal, these superior features require superior and resilient infrastructure.