PM Modi to flag off South India's first 'Vande Bharat' train on Nov 11

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday will flag off the 'Vande Bharat' train from Mysuru to Chennai via Bengaluru. The new train is the fifth in the country and the first semi-high-speed train in the South.

Railway officials said the train would help cut travel time and give a new travel experience.

A railway official said that the train can travel at a speed of 160 km per hour. If run in full capacity, the train can touch Chennai from Bengaluru in just three hours.


Integral Coach Factory (ICF), a production unit of the railways, developed the train which has an intelligent braking system enabling better acceleration and deceleration. All the coaches are equipped with automatic doors, GPS-based audio-visual passenger information system, onboard hotspot Wi-Fi for entertainment purpose, and comfortable seats. The executive class has rotating chairs, the authorities said.

An officer said, "It is much more than the conventional Shatabdi rake of equal number of coaches."

Already, there are many trains between Bengaluru and Chennai: Shatabdi Express, Brindavan Express, Mass Double-Decker, Guwahati Express, Lalbagh Express, Chennai Express, Kaveri Express, and Chennai Mail, but 'Vande Bharat' is unique given its speed and facilities, according to railway officials.

With inputs from PTI