India's First 20-Coach Vande Bharat Train Undergoes Trial Run On Ahmedabad-Mumbai Route

A 20-coach Vande Bharat train has undergone a crucial trial run on the Ahmedabad-Vadodara-Mumbai Central route today (9 August).

Currently, two pairs of 16-coach Vande Bharat trains operate on this route, consistently running at over 100 per cent capacity. Each 16-coach train accommodates 1,128 passengers, including two first-class compartments with 52 seats each and chair car compartments seating 78 passengers each.

The new 20-coach train is expected to boost capacity by nearly 25 per cent, offering greater comfort and convenience to travellers. This expansion will provide much-needed relief on this high-demand route, enhancing the overall travel experience for passengers.

The trial, with the train’s top speed capped at 130 km/h, is a key step in the Indian Railways' long-term plan to operate semi-high-speed Vande Bharat trains on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad-Delhi corridor.

The Indian Railway’s Research, Design, and Standards Organisation (RDSO), along with senior railway engineers from various departments has overseen the trial.

Earlier reports indicated that Vande Bharat trains were likely to undergo trials at 160 km/h on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route. In preparation for this, safety barriers have been installed along the route, and significant engineering enhancements have been undertaken.

These include the strengthening of over 120 bridge approaches using geo-cells, rehabilitation of an additional 138 bridges, and the replacement of seven bridges with ballasted decks. The railways have also straightened 134 curves along the route and upgraded the capacity of concrete sleepers and track cushioning, reports Hindustan Times.

These upgrades aim to boost speeds from the current 120-130 km h to 160 km/h, potentially reducing the travel time between Mumbai and Ahmedabad by 45 to 60 minutes.

The Mumbai-Surat-Vadodara-Delhi corridor is also slated for a similar speed upgrade. The project’s cost within Western Railway’s jurisdiction is estimated at Rs 3,959 crore, while the total budget for the route to Delhi is approximately Rs 10,000 crore.

Currently, over 50 trains, including the Vande Bharat, Tejas, and Shatabdi Express, operate between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, running at varying speeds of 100 km/h to 110 km/h on different sections of the route.

As part of broader efforts to expedite train journeys, the Indian Railways is focusing on the 1,479-km Delhi-Mumbai corridor and the 1,525-km Delhi-Howrah corridor. Nearly 50 per cent of the Mumbai-Delhi route falls under Western Railways, with the remainder managed by West Central Railways and Northern Railway.