Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday flagged off the Gandhinagar-Mumbai Vande Bharat Express, a semi-high speed train, and travelled in it from the state capital to Kalupur railway station in Ahmedabad city. Modi flagged off the train from Gandhinagar Capital railway station around 10.30 am before boarding the train.

"PM @narendramodi is on board the Vande Bharat Express from Gandhinagar to Ahmedabad. People from different walks of life, including those from the Railways family, women entrepreneurs and youngsters are his co-passengers on this journey," the Prime Minister's Office (PMO India) said in a tweet. In the photographs attached with the tweet, the prime minister is seen interacting with the railway officials, women entrepreneurs and others on board.

The train, which connects the capital cities of Maharashtra and Gujarat, is the third Vande Bharat Express in the country. The first such train was started on New Delhi-Varanasi route, while the second one on New Delhi-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra route, an official said. The train will provide passengers aircraft-like travelling experience and advanced safety features, including Kavach technology, an indigenously developed Train Collision Avoidance System, he said.

"This train will offer world-class comfort and facilities to passengers. The fully air-conditioned Vande Bharat has several modern features, such as sliding doors, personalised reading lights, mobile charging points, attendant call buttons, bio-toilets, automatic entry and exit doors, CCTV cameras, reclining facility, comfortable seats," a release by the railways said.

Train number 20901 Mumbai Central-Gandhinagar Capital Vande Bharat Superfast Express will start its commercial run from October 1. It will operate six days a week except Sundays. The train will depart from Mumbai Central station at 6.10 am and reach Gandhinagar at 12.30 pm. For the return journey, the train will depart from Gandhinagar at 2.05 pm and arrive at Mumbai Central at 8.35 pm. It will halt at Surat, Vadodara and Ahmedabad stations in both directions.

Vande Bharat Express is an indigenously designed semi-High speed self-propelled train set of 16 coaches. The train reaches 160 kmph speed in just 140 seconds and it has better riding comfort for passengers at 3.5 (riding index). The fare for Mumbai-Ahmedabad journey by executive chair car will be Rs 2,505, while that for chair car will be Rs 1,385.

The railways has rescheduled Mumbai-Ahmedabad Shatabdi Express to accommodate Vande Bharat Express. The train has a Coach Control Management System for monitoring air-conditioning, communication and feedback to control centre/maintenance staff through GSM/GPRS. It is fitted with Passenger Information and Infotainment System in every coach, the official said. Equipped with automatic plug doors with sliding footsteps and touch-free sliding doors inside coaches, the seats inside the executive class are revolving.

This is the first train with aeroplane-like bio-vacuum toilets with touch-free amenities and also has a special lavatory for divyang (specially-abled) passengers. The seats’ handles are provided with seat numbers in Braille letters to assist the visually-challenged passengers. The train is equipped with Kavach safety system. The coaches have emergency talk back units. The train has better flood proofing for under-slung electrical equipment that will withstand floods up to a height of 650 mm.