Namo Bharat Rapid Rail (also referred to as Vande Metro) is a short-distance service that operates on an inter-city rail network to connect major cities within a distance of around . The Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala had rolled out the first Basic Unit (4 coaches) of the train in April 2024. This train is part of the 'Make in India' initiative by the Government of India and entered commercial service in September 2024.
History
Announcement Following the success of the Vande Bharat Express in the medium-distance segment, Namo Bharat Rapid Rail as Vande Metro was first announced by then Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnav in April 2023 as a short-distance version intended for regional travel.
Prototypes
Trial runs With the trainsets getting into the final stages, trial runs for the trainsets were scheduled for July 2024. These trials were to be focused on metropolitan cities, satellite cities, and large urban centres.
A successful trial run was conducted on 3 August 2024 which ran from Chennai's Villivakkam railway station and terminated at Katpadi Junction.
Another trial run was conducted on 8 September 2024 which ran from Ahmedabad Jn. railway station to Bhuj railway station. During the trial run, the train covered the distance in five hours, one and a half hours less than then-operational trains. During the trial, the train achieved a maximum speed of .
Entry into service The first Ahmedabad–Bhuj train service started on 16 September 2024. It consists of 12 cars, covering a distance of 359 km (223 mi). The travel time is approximately 5 hours and 40 minutes, with a maximum speed of 110 km/h (68 mph) and an average speed of 63 km/h (39 mph).
Rolling stock The Namo Bharat Rapid Rail is a self-propelled trainset similar to the Vande Bharat Express. The self-propelled feature eliminates the need for a separate locomotive and offers faster acceleration and deceleration. Designed to replace MEMU trains, its primary aim is to reduce the inter-city travel time. With a maximum operational speed of , it surpasses the current running MEMUs.
Each coach features lightweight, cushioned seats accommodating 100 seated passengers and space for 200 standing. It is fully air-conditioned and equipped with modern amenities, including sealed gangways for easy movement. It also has aluminium luggage racks, LCD displays for passenger information, automatic doors, mobile charging sockets, diffused lighting, route displays, and panoramic windows with roller blinds.
Safety features include the KAVACH anti-collision system, CCTV cameras, Emergency talk-back units, fire detection systems, and modular bio-vacuum toilets. Initially, the trainsets will consist of 12 to 16 coaches depending on route demand.
Rake formation
Abbreviations:
DTC – Driving Trailer Coach; NDTC – Non-Driving Trailer Coach; MC – Motor Coach; MC2 – Motor Coach with electrical change-over switch; MC3 – 180° rotated MC2; TC – Trailer Coach having Pantograph
+ Rake Formation of 12 coach Namo Bharat Rapid Rail trainsetCoach No.123456789101112Power ConfigurationDTCMCTCMC2NDTCMCTCMC2MC3TCMCDTCBasic Power UnitsUnit 1Unit 2Unit 3Seating Capacity5710410410410410410410410410410457Standing Capacity104185185185185185185185185185185104+ Total Seating Capacity= 1150 Total Standing Capacity= 2058 Total Capacity= 3208
Services
Operational services S.No.ServiceZoneCarsDistanceTravel timeSpeedInaugural runMaximumAverage1Ahmedabad–BhujWR125h 40m16 September 20242Jaynagar–PatnaECR165h 30m24 April 2025
Proposed services S.NoServiceZoneDistance1Mumbai Suburban RailwayCentral LineCRHarbour LineTrans–Harbour LinePort LineVasai Road–Roha LineWestern LineWR2Lucknow–Unnao–KanpurNR3Chennai–TirupatiSR4Agra–MathuraNR 5Bhubaneswar–BalasoreECoR6Thiruvananthapuram–ErnakulamSR7Thrissur–KozhikodeSR8Delhi–NarnaulNR9Durg–NagpurSECR265 km
Notes
See also RapidX MEMU Vande Bharat Express Amrit Bharat Express References
External links