New Vande Bharat trains super app, Indian Railways will redefine travel in next 5 years: Ashwini Vaishnav

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has very clearly stated its vision to further strengthen the Indian Railways in its manifesto.

“This is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's guarantee that the railway capacity will be expanded very rapidly in the next five years,” Ashwini Vaishnav told IANS in a candid conversation.

Vande Bharat train has three variants – sleeper, chair car and metro. While the chair car version is already running on the tracks, the first car body of the Vande Bharat sleeper is ready and the first sleeper train may be ready in the next five-six months.

“The best facilities and travel experience are being provided to the passengers by these three Vande Bharat trains. The fourth, Amrit Bharat train, will be manufactured in large numbers in the near future so that one can travel long distances comfortably,” said Ashwini Vaishnav.

The Union Minister recently visited Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) facility in Bengaluru to inspect the progress of Vande Bharat Sleeper Coaches.

At least 10 Vande Bharat sleeper trains will be introduced for a trial period over a period of six months. All Vande Bharat sleeper trains will be pre-equipped with 'Kavach' anti-collision system.

Ashwini Vaishnav told IANS that to make the journey easier, a super app will be created so that every facility related to all types of rail travel can be easily heard through the app.

The comprehensive super app has been designed as a one-stop solution for rail travellers.

It will provide multiple services like ticket booking, train tracking and other railway related inquiries to improve customer experience, including a 24-hour ticket refund scheme.

The Union Minister said that in the next five years, Railways, which is a strong link in the development of the country's economy, will be further strengthened and facilities, especially for passengers, will be expanded at a rapid pace.

Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS) is the world's largest railway station redevelopment programme. To date, 1,321 stations out of 7,000 have been selected by the Railways for redevelopment.

“Redevelopment of 1,321 stations is underway and will be completed soon. After that, all other medium and large stations will also be included in the station redevelopment programme,” Ashwini Vaishnav told IANS.