Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw visited the Bengaluru facility on Sunday to inspect India's first bullet train manufacturing. He said, "The progress is excellent." The minister checked how components are produced and tested to meet international standards. Meanwhile, he also flagged off the new Bengaluru-Mumbai Vande Bharat Sleeper train service.
On Sunday, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw visited the Bengaluru facility manufacturing India's first bullet train and inspected the progress, sharing a glimpse of the country's high-speed rail project. Take a look.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday inspected the manufacturing unit of India's first bullet train at BEML's facility in Bengaluru. Expressing satisfaction with the progress, the Railway Minister claimed that most of the components of the train are being manufactured, describing it as 'excellent'. During his visit, Vaishnaw saw different stages of the manufacturing process and discussed the progress with plant engineers.
Ashwini Vaishnaw shares details of bullet train manufacturing
While speaking to news agency ANI, the Minister said, ''Today, I conducted a thorough inspection of the bullet train currently being manufactured at BEML. The progress is excellent. All major components of the bullet train are being produced, integrated, and tested; the entire process is advancing very well, with a special emphasis on quality.''
''Giving that a vacuum is created around the train at such high speeds, managing and sustaining atmospheric pressure is critical; testing is conducted at loads of 1,500 kilonewtons. Great attention has been paid to every aspect, and each component has been tested according to international standards,'' he added.
Vaishnaw flags off Bengaluru-Mumbai Vande Bharat Sleeper train
Earlier on Sunday, Ashwini Vaishnaw flagged off the Bengaluru-Mumbai Vande Bharat Sleeper train, which connects Bengaluru's Sir M Visvesvaraya Railway Station (SMVT) with Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CST).
UP's first bullet train corridor to connect Delhi with Varanasi
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also approved the Northern Bullet Train Corridor, through which Uttar Pradesh will get its first bullet train, connecting the national capital with Varanasi. The proposed high-speed train is expected to reduce the travel time between the two cities to just 3.5 hours.
''With the bullet train, travel times will be significantly reduced: Delhi to Kanpur in 1 hour 45 minutes; Delhi to Agra in 59 minutes; Delhi to Lucknow in 2 hours 12 minutes; Varanasi to Lucknow in 1 hour 21 minutes; Varanasi to Patna in 1 hour; Varanasi to Delhi in 3 hours 33 minutes; Varanasi to Prayagraj in 33 minutes; and Varanasi to Agra in 2 hours 34 minutes,'' ANI reported, quoting the Railway Minister.