PM To Flag Off Vande Bharat train between Secunderabad, Tirupati

Union Minister of Tourism & Culture G Kishan Reddy today said Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be visiting Hyderabad on April l8 to lay the foundation stones for or inaugurate a slew of infrastructure projects.

Reddy also said that as part of his visit, the Prime Minister would also flag off the Vande Bharat train running between Hyderabad and Tirupati.

This will be the second Vande Bharat train serving the Telugu States after the first one between Secunderabad and Visakhapatnam that was also inaugurated by the Prime Minister, on January 15.

The Union Minister said that the new train would provide seamless services to those who travel between Hyderabad and Tirupati.

While most trains between Hyderabad and Tirupati took more than 11 hours, the Vande Bharat train would complete the journey in just eight-and-a-half hours, Reddy said. The train would halt at Nalgonda, Guntur, Ongole and Nellore stations en route Tirupati, he added.

Reddy said that the inaugural train would be flagged off at 11 am from Secunderabad on April 8. The inaugural train would stop at Nalgonda, Miryalaguda, Piduguralla, Guntur, Tenali, Bapatla, Chirala, Ongole, Nellore and Gudur - more than the normal stops - to give the people in those stations an opportunity to experience the train and the rapid strides India was making in building an "Atma Nirbhar Bharat". He requested the local people in all those places to visit the stations to give a warm welcome to the Made in India train.

Indian Railways plans to manufacture 400 new-generation Vande Bharat trains, with better energy efficiency and passenger riding experiences. The trains are being operated with modern coaches, and aim to provide faster commutes and better travel experiences. The modern features of the Vande Bharat services include quick acceleration, on board infotainment, a GPS-based passenger information system, automatic sliding doors, retractable footsteps, zero-discharge vacuum bio-toilets and more.