Vande Bharat Express to connect Telugu States

Hyderabad: No more travel hassles for those who would like to travel between Secunderabad to Visakhapatnam or towns like Khammam, Warangal, Vijayawada and Rajahmundry. A luxurious trip to these destinations would become a reality on Sankranti Day (January 15) when Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually inaugurate the high-speed Vande Bharat Express. Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav and Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy would be present at the Secunderabad railway station.

It would be a boon for those traveling on tours, business purposes and short-duration trips as it would be cost effective compared to air travel and the time it would take to reach their destination would be less than flight for places like Vijayawada while it may be a couple of hours more for Visakhapatnam.

The fastest trains like Duronto now take over 12 hours to reach Visakhapatnam but the Vande Bharat train reaches in about 8 hours and 30 minutes.

Not just that, this train is a totally Make-in-India product and has several special features to make the travel comfortable and affordable. It has automatic sliding doors, reclining seats in all classes and 180-degree rotating seats in the Executive class. The rotating seats enable all passengers to view through the window with more comfort without turning their heads towards the side. It also has facilities like mobile charging points at every seat, LED lighting for calmer ambience like aircraft, emergency talk back units, mini pantry car in each coach, special air conditioning duct for silent and equal distribution of conditioned air, and automatic sensor for temperature adjustment.

Even the gangway will have a special contemporary exterior look and is big enough for free movement.

Emergency alarm buttons and emergency talk-back units have been provided through which passengers can talk with crew in case of exigent situations. CCTV cameras are equipped in all coaches for safe and secure travel.

According to Railway authorities, it would leave Secunderabad at 3 pm and reach Visakhapatnam at 11.30 pm. En route it will stop at Warangal, Khammam, Vijayawada and Rajahmundry. In the return direction, it would depart from Visakhapatnam at 5.45 am and reach Secunderabad by 2.15 pm. The train would run on all days except Sunday.