Andhra Pradesh to get two Vande Bharat Express trains

The second Vande Bharat train will operate between Secunderabad and Tirupati.

Visakhapatnam: Two new-generation Vande Bharat Express trains are sanctioned for Andhra Pradesh, according to a notification sent by the Indian Railways to the South Central Railway.

The first Vande Bharat Express train will be launched between Secunderabad Railway Station and Vijayawada which will be operational from the new year 2023. The official date will be finalized soon after the railway authorities complete track upgradation. The train will start from Secunderabad to Vijayawada via Kazipet. It will later be extended to Visakhapatnam.

---

The second Vande Bharat train will operate between Secunderabad and Tirupati. South Central Railway wants to run this train from Secunderabad to Tirupati via Vijayawada.

A decision has to be taken on this train route based on the feasibility and stock availability. Union Minister for Tourism, Culture and Development G. Kishan Reddy had also made a request for the train to Tirupati considering the number of pilgrims travelling to the temple town of Tirupati.

Each Vande Bharat has a total seating capacity of 1,128 passengers, equipped with automatic doors; a GPS-based audio-visual passenger information system, onboard hotspot Wi-Fi for entertainment purposes, and comfortable seating. The Vande Bharat Express can run up to a maximum commercial speed of 160 kmph. At present, the train on the Secunderabad-Vijayawada track via Kazipet can run at a maximum speed of 130 kmph.