Vande Metro Train: After the successful launch of several Vande Bharat trains, Indian Railways is manufacturing the Vande Metro train. According to Railways and Communication Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, these trains will replace those designed in 1950s and 60s. According to the minister, the first indigenously designed and built hydrogen train would roll out in December 2023.

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"We are designing and the design should be out by anywhere by May or June -- We are designing a worldclass Vande Metro which will be a great leap forward," Vaishnaw said on Sunday.

"These Vande Metro trains will be manufactured in such large numbers that across the country, the trains which were of 1950s and 1960s designs will all be replaced," he added.

Vaishnaw stressed that Vande Metro trains are being built considering the need of the middle-class and the poor. 

"The focus is not on the high-end customer. Rich people can always take care of themselves. The Central government, especially Prime Minister Narendra Modi focuses on middle and lower classes people who are not able to afford," he underlined.

Like Vande Bharat, Vande Metro Trains Will Be Indigenous

According to Vaishnaw, Indian engineers are designing Vande Metro train.

"The design process is already going on and we should be able to roll out the first hydrogen train in the country by December 2023," he added.

He also ruled out privatisation of railways saying, "Railways is a strategic sector and it will remain with the government."

Vande Bharat-3 With Sleeper Class

The Union Minister said the Railways is working on Vande Bharat-3 design, which will also have sleeper class. These trains would also be used for a long journey.

Presently, the Railways is taking up 12 km of railway track construction a day, which used to be a mere four km a day during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government from 2004 to 2014.

Next year, the Railways would achieve laying 16 km to 17 km of tracks a day, though the Prime Minister has set a target of 20 kilometres of laying railway lines a day, the Minister said.

Bullet Train Corridor Construction

Regarding the bullet train corridor construction between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, he said it is going on at a full speed.

The technology of bullet train operations is so complex given the vibration it will generate but the Indian engineers have mastered the technology, Vaishnaw claimed.

The Railways will take up 11 or 12 more corridors in the country after the successful completion of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor.

With PTI Input