Train 18: Tickets sold out for next 2 weeks, here's what Twitterati thinks about first commercial run
The train, formerly known as Train 18, was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Vande Bharat Express: At 11.19 am on Friday, India's first engineless train, Vande Bharat Express rolled out from the New Delhi railway station on its inaugural journey to Varanasi, a testament to the government's 'Make in India' initiative.
The train, formerly known as Train 18, was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The atmosphere along the route was marked by both a sense of excitement as well as a feeling of pride for the indigenously made train. The train's first halt was at Kanpur Central Railway Station in Uttar Pradesh.
Along the route, in a treatment usually reserved for celebrities, people clicked photos and recorded videos as the train zoomed past them.At the station, the train was welcomed by a huge crowd amid chants of 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' and 'Vande Mataram'.
People jostled to touch the train and its windows as it pulled into the station. Majority of them had their cameras out here as well -- taking selfies with the train in background.
On its halt at Allahabad also, the train was welcomed by a large number of people.
However, in less than seven hours after completing its maiden run between Delhi and Varanasi, Vande Bharat Express came to a screeching halt early on Saturday.
Train 18, suffered a breakdown around 5.30am after a bovine animal allegedly came on its way when it was cruising at nearly 130 kmph. The train was returning to Delhi after completing a special trip, without any passengers.
Railway officials on board the train said the incident occurred just as it was to cross Tundla station. "The train went over cattle which led to a glitch in its braking and power supply system," said an official from the Railway Board, the apex body of the national transporter.
But the incident did not impact the enthusiasm over the fastest train of Indian Railways. Railways Minister Piyush Goyal informed on Twitter that the tickets for Vande Bharat Express have been sold out for next two weeks.
Below are some of the tweets lauding the Modi government's Make in India initiative in context of Train 18.
Passengers travelling from New Delhi to Varanasi in the executive class will be charged Rs 399 for morning tea, breakfast and lunch, and travellers in the chair car Rs 344 for the same.
Those travelling from New Delhi to Kanpur and Prayagraj will be charged Rs 155 and Rs 122 for executive and CC classes, respectively. From Varanasi to New Delhi, passengers Rs 349 in the executive class and Rs 288 in chair car, according to the order. Passengers cannot opt out of meals. But, those travelling from Allahabad to Varanasi and on the return journey Varanasi to Allahabad can opt.
A sleeper-class version of the chair-car facility will be rolled out in 2021, a Railway source told DNA. And, what's exciting is that it could even replace the Rajdhani Express. To treat the citizens to even a better news, the Railway Board said it has placed an order for the manufacturing of 40 more such trains over the next three years.
A day after being flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India's first semi-high speed train, Vande Bharat Express, ran into some trouble early Saturday while returning to Delhi from Varanasi.
The train reached Delhi around 1 pm on Saturday and is scheduled to begin it's first commercial run on Sunday with all tickets already sold out.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi cited Train 18 experiencing trouble on Saturday to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Make in India programme, claiming that most people feel it has failed.