Infrastructure
Telangana: Hyderabad To Get Three More Vande Bharat Trains, To Connect Bengaluru, Pune And Tirupati
- In addition to easing the commute, Vande Bharat trains can influence Telangana assembly elections too as Greater Hyderabad accounts for 21 per cent of the state assembly.
A Vande Bharat train.
Hyderabad may get three more Vande Bharat trains soon connecting Telangana’s capital with Bengaluru, Pune and Tirupati.
Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off India's eighth Vande Bharat Express between Secunderabad and Visakhapatnam.
It evoked huge response in Telugu states with the new train service operating at its full capacity since inauguration.
Three more Vande Bharat trains are planned to operate between Kacheguda and Bengaluru, Secunderabad and Pune, and Secunderabad and Tirupati.
Officials told The New Indian Express that the South Central Railways (SCR) which is headquartered in Hyderabad has upgraded rail track on these routes to facilitate functioning of new Vande Bharat trains at a maximum speed of 130 kmph.
Officials plan to upgrade the staff and depots to operate and maintain more Vande Bharat trains.
The first semi-high-speed service for south India was started on the Chennai-Mysuru route recently.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had set a target to make 75 Vande Bharat trains on the 75th anniversary of India’s Independence.
Effect of Vande Bharat on Telangana politics
Vande Bharat has become a trending topic in the Telugu states since its launch last week. Reels, stories and videos about it garnered millions of views on social media sites.
The overwhelming response to these new trains can affect the voter’s choice in the upcoming Telangana assembly elections, at least to some extent particularly in Greater Hyderabad limits.
BJP aims to win the 2023 assembly elections in Telangana which may be held in November this year. It cannot reach its aim without winning majority seats in Greater Hyderabad limits where it has a strong presence.
Greater Hyderabad limits has around 25 seats out of 119 constituencies of Telangana, it amounts to 21 per cent seats.
In addition, people residing in Hyderabad mega city can considerably influence the results across Telangana by having their votes or families in the districts.
Thus Hyderabad’s middle class section may see more Vande Bharat trains easing their commute in coming months.
