Indian railways to introduce Vande Metro in Bengaluru soon

Bengaluru: Indian Railways will soon install Vande Metro in a few cities along the lines of the Vande Bharat Express trains, according to Ashwini Vaishnaw, the minister of railways. Now, Bengaluru would be among the first cities to receive the Vande Metro trains, according to the South Western Railway (SWR) authorities.

Following the union budget's grants for railways, the railway minister announced that the railways would create the Vande Metro, a scaled-down version of the Vande Bharat Express trains, to allow residents of large cities to comfortably commute between their places of employment and residences.

"We are also expanding Vande Metro throughout major urban areas because there are many areas where residents would like to travel for work or entertainment before returning home. We are developing a Vande Bharat version of the Vande Metro for this. Passengers will perceive these as a quick shuttle," added the minister.

Bengaluru, one of the country's "most important urban centres," would be among the first cities to receive Vende Metro trains, according to South Western Railway (SWR) General Manager Sanjeev Kishore. He also hoped that infrastructure improvements for the city's Vande Bharat trains will benefit the Vande Metros as well.

The Vande Metro fleet's design and manufacture will be finished this year, and the train's production will ramp up in the following fiscal year.

The Vande Bharat trains, which will have eight coaches and resemble a metro train, will soon be available in sleeper variants from the Railways. According to railway officials, it will be beneficial for travellers, particularly for business people, students, and members of the working class who want to travel to several major cities. Vande Bharat trains typically consist of 16 cars.