Amrit Bharat Train 2.0: In the second edition of Amrit Bharat Train, 12 major improvements have been made like ‘modular toilet’, emergency brake system and advanced design. 50 such trains will be manufactured in the ‘Integral Coach Factory (ICF)’ in the next two years. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav, after inspecting the factory along with ICF General Manager U Subba Rao, said that the Tamil Nadu government should keep serving the people above politics and the Center and his ministry are committed to taking steps for the welfare of the people. “Very happy to see the second edition (of trains being manufactured) of Amrit Bharat (here),” he told reporters at the ICF here. You will remember, the first edition of Amrit Bharat was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January 2024. Based on the experience of the last one year, many improvements have been made in the second edition of Amrit Bharat.
What will be new in Amrit Bharat 2.0
- There will be semi-automatic ‘couplets’.
- There will be modular toilets.
- There will be ‘chair pillars’ and ‘partitions’.
- There will be ’emergency talk back feature’.
- There will be ’emergency brake system’.
- There will be continuous lighting system like Vande Bharat train.
- There will be new design seats and ‘berths’.
- The new design will have a complete ‘pantry car’.
Vaishnav said that in the construction of these trains, low income and lower middle income group families are being kept in mind. He said, “50 such trains of the second edition of Amrit Bharat will be manufactured (at Integral Coach Factory) in the coming two years.” This will provide affordable service and high quality travel experience to people traveling long distances.
The poor are being taken care of
Later, while talking to ‘PTI-Video’, the Railway Minister said that Amrit Bharat trains have been designed with a view to provide comfortable travel facilities to even the poorest of the poor. He said, “Amrit Bharat has been designed based on the experience of Vande (Bharat) sleeper and the first edition of Amrit Bharat. The normal coach has comfortable seats, ‘charging point’, space to keep mobile phones and water bottles and much more.
Tamil Nadu should work together
Responding to another question, he said that the state government should extend its support as land allotment to the ministry has been a big issue. He said, “We need cooperation from the state government in land acquisition. We must ensure that people’s convenience is above politics and we must look at the welfare of the people first. I have requested the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (MK Stalin) to support us.” He said, ”The people of Tamil Nadu want better facilities and the Government of India and the Prime Minister are committed to providing those facilities. If we work together (central and state governments), we can provide better facilities to the people.
Railway Minister gave information about the armor
The minister said the Railways has installed Kavach (a feature that helps prevent train accidents) in 10,000 engines and ‘track side fitting’ is also being done on 15,000 kilometres. Regarding the rail link between Jammu and Srinagar, Vaishnav said that it is a ‘dream come true’ project and the Commissioner of Railway Safety has conducted speed tests. “This is a very, very complex project,” he said. It passes through about 97 tunnels and has six kilometers of bridges in its 110 kilometer route.” Regarding the capital expenditure of the Railways, he said that the Ministry has utilized about 76 percent of the funds and the capital expenditure of the Railways in 2024. The allocation was received, that is historical.
