Lucknow: In a pleasant news for the train passengers, the Railways is extending Vande Bharat Express operating between Gorakhpur and Lucknow to Prayagraj even as preparations are going on to launch another Vande Bharat train, which will operate between Anand Vihar, Lucknow and Ayodhya, official sources said.
Sources said that the railway administration is preparing a timetable for the operation of this Vande Bharat Express. It is learnt that when this Vande Bharat Express will land on the track, it is sure to affect some trains. To tackle with the issue, the Railway Board is holding talks to ensure minimal disruption to the already operating trains including Shatabdi Express and Tejas Express, an official said.
Sources said that the rake has been allotted to Northern Railway from the Rail Coach Factory. The rake of eight-coach Vande Bharat Express will be handed over to Northern Railway on 16th of December. According to a senior officer of the Railway Board, Vande Bharat Express will cover the distance from Anand Vihar to Lucknow in eight hours.
The possibilities of running this train from Anand Vihar in the morning are quite high, he said. The reason behind this is that there is no arrangement for primary maintenance of Vande Bharat Express in Ayodhya. For this reason, a consensus is being reached to run Vande Bharat Express from Anand Vihar in the morning and return it from Ayodhya in the afternoon.
If Vande Bharat Express will be operated from Anand Vihar in the evening, then there will be no arrangement for primary maintenance after reaching Ayodhya at night, said officials. Night travel cannot be done in trains with seating chairs. Railway Board had already prepared a proposal to convert New Delhi Lucknow Shatabdi Express into Vande Bharat Express. In such a situation, Anand Vihar-Ayodhya Vande Bharat Express is being seen as a new alternative to Shatabdi Express.
Senior Divisional Commercial Manager (Senior DCM) of Northern Railway Lucknow Division, Rekha Sharma said that the rake of the train has become quite old. Many other types of complaints are also being made by the passengers including the malfunction of its gate. He says that the Railway Board is preparing the time table of Anand Vihar-Ayodhya Vande Bharat Express. It is expected that the order for the date of its operation will also come very soon.
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