[vigsom]

Introduction

I consider myself fortunate to have seized an opportunity to travel by the new star of Southern Railway - the Mysuru Chennai Vande Bharat Express, on just its fourth day of operation. Having had some bittersweet experiences on trains in the recent months, I was just looking forward to another point A (Bengaluru) to point B (Chennai) journey, but was blown away by the effort taken by several teams in building this train. Just like how I found the Tejas coaches feature rich, this one has its great points. Read on.

[vigsom]

How did I get to travel by the Vande Bharat Express?

I needed to get to Chennai from Bengaluru and was wanting a day express. Realizing that the Vande Bharat Express was operational, and that trains running in the morning were heavily booked, I decided to try the young stallion, which showed no dynamic fare, a catering charge of just INR 86 (for some not so high tea), and a convenient 3pm departure. What was surprising is that this train had just one halt, at Katpadi enroute from Bengaluru to Chennai. Opportunities like this don't come every day, and so I went ahead and booked my place.

Arrival at KSR Bengaluru

Platform 7 at KSR Bengaluru was nothing short of an exhibition of sorts with a whole posse of security personnel waiting to welcome the VIP (Vande Bharat Express). The tracks have never been this clean, and the escalators at the main entry and onto platform 7 were clean and functional. As the stallion rolled in, passengers and onlookers pulled their weapons(aka mobile phones) to take shots of the VIP. The security personnel were shouting out to onlookers to stay away from the track and did seem to mention that taking unsafe selfies might take them to smashaan (crematorium); the mood on the platform was kind of celebratory.

Vande Bharat Express rolling in with spectators all charged up

[vigsom]

First impressions of the Vande Bharat Express

Just like the Tejas ,there was this wide entry, massive lobby, and a sensor-actuated sliding door led us to the airconditioned cabin. The moment I sat down in my seat, I could feel the difference - the seats just hug the passengers, underthigh support was way way better than the Shatabdis, the cabin was overall well-appointed and most importantly, the temperature was well controlled unlike freezing zones that I've experienced in other trains of late.

Likes

• Classy on the outside – plain white with a blue band and blackened windows
• Tremendous acceleration like the EMUs - key differentiator
• Massive windows give an airy feel to the cabin
• Seats offer good comfort
• Blinds on all windows are manually operated but can be set at any position
• Emergency communication system
• Tray table is the best I've seen in an Indian train till date
• Air suspension makes the ride much much smoother
• CCTV cameras
• Smoke detectors
• Fire detectors and alarms
• Bio-vacuum toilet
• Jaquar taps on the washbasins

Dislikes

• Seat fabric will definitely weather away with use; leatherette would have been easy to maintain
• Noise insulation could have been better

[vigsom]

Experiencing the Vande Bharat Express

Showcased below are some of what I observed keenly while on board.

The best seats I've sat in in recent times; however, I expect the seat fabric to start wearing off like in the Shatabdis


Cabin View - note the massive windows




Grab handles on the aisle seats - useful to hold on to when moving down the aisle


Seat Back


Magazine holder deep inside


Bottle holders placed deep down


Tray table - stable and well supported


Tray table in the closed position - note the high quality hooks


Seat recline control lever hidden


Seat recline angle - good enough


Power supply sockets (three pin and USB) under the seat - none on the side panels


Rare sight to see a train skip Bengaluru Cantt.


Overtaking the Double Decker Express

[vigsom]

Experiencing the Vande Bharat Express (Contd.)

Communication system for contacting the Driver/operator


System to open doors in an emergency


The massive lobby


Heater Cooler Freezer Boiler


Loo for the handicapped - it is rather huge. While I was conversing with someone in the lobby, out comes this hale and healthy guy who was nowhere near handicapped


Washroom






Wide windows


Window blinds - can be pulled down to set the blinds at infinite positions - unlike the spring loaded blinds in Shatabdis which have only 3 lock positions

[vigsom]

Experiencing the Vande Bharat Express (Contd.)

A snack was served at approx 4:15pm - it was one samosa, a sweet and tea/coffee premix which could be made in hot water. A bottle of water was also provided.



I walked right to the front of the train and tried a sneak peek into the cockpit but the door was closed. I asked if I could take a pic through the peep window but was told I couldn't do so for security reasons. The coaches at the ends (C1 and C14) have half the number of seats and a huge open area at the end which could have possibly been given for evacuation OR for luggage storage

View of coach C14


The train completed the Bengaluru - Chennai run casually in a mere 4 hours and 20 minutes, despite being a few minutes late at the only stop viz. Katpadi between Bengaluru. On arrival at Chennai, I was witness to crazy crowds as seen in pre-Covid times



in stark contrast to what I saw in Oct-2021



Summing it up

Time will tell if the internals eg. seat fabric, door sensors, panels and the like withstand the test of time. However, it is a matter of pride that a train like this has been built in India. This has given me a huge sense of pride!

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[V.Narayan]

Dear @Vigsom,

First I must compliment you on being the Train Man of Team BHP. Your enthusiasm for trains and the revival of the once great Indian Railways has been timed aptly to make reading your threads so eye opening. Kudos to you my friend. Keep them coming.

Having witnessed the decline of Indian Railways first hand from c.1970 to now it is more than a ray of hope to now observe the rejuvenation of this most vital institution. As India gets more prosperous, as it most definitely will, it will be even more critical that reasonably priced and clean train travel grows 10X so that we don't end up with over crowded commuter skies and meet our emission norms under the Paris Accord. I hope the heroes in the Indian Railways who have developed these trains get the recognition due to them.

The amount of energy and therefore emissions a train produces is a fraction per seat-mile compared to an airliner. A 5000 shp locomotive could comfortably pull a super fast train {as defined in India} with 15 bogies carrying say 900 passengers. An Airbus A320 carrying 180 passengers is powered by two roughly 10,000 kgf turbofans. These two together very very roughly approximate to - hold your breath - 50,000 shp at take-off and 20,000 shp at cruise*. Do the arithmetic - even at cruise the airliner's shp to pax ratio is 20X higher than that of the fast train.

Forget aviation, next life I want to be an train engine driver. I clearly had the right vision at age 5.

Since the early 2000s I have travelled by train only two or three times. Your posts are motivating me to consider a change.

Questions: (a) Was the travel time Mysore to Chennai shorter by this new train compared to the older one? (b) How many pax to a bogie. I have presumed 60 in my calculation above. (c) Is there space for bigger bags or is the rack above the only place to keep luggage.

* I've done some very rough calculations. These are only directionally correct. But they are directionally correct :-)

[PVS]

Thanks for sharing the wonderful trip report on the VB. Subhranshu(Ex General Manager - ICF) and team have done a commendable job in developing a train from grounds up, comparable with the other Inter City Trainsets in the other parts of the world.

This VB eventually will start picking up good patronage between Mysuru, Bengaluru and Chennai. If only there was a fast express departing Bengaluru post 1730 hours to Chennai, with a halt at Krishnarajapuram, it would have been better for the passengers, especially IT folks.

Right now, there is a slew of [daily] departures to Chennai in the post-noon slot starting with the DD at 1430, VB at 1500, Brindavan at 1510 and Chennai Shatabdi at 1615. After this the next train to Chennai is the mail at 2240.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by vigsom

Introduction

I consider myself fortunate to have seized an opportunity to travel by the new star of Southern Railway - the Mysuru Chennai Vande Bharat Express, on just its fourth day of operation. Having had some bittersweet experiences on trains in the recent months, I was just looking forward to another point A (Bengaluru) to point B (Chennai) journey, but was blown away by the effort taken by several teams in building this train. Just like how I found the Tejas coaches feature rich, this one has its great points. Read on.

Attachment 2379422

The train looks lovely. Every bit as nice as the famous TGVs and Thalys and all. Very pride inspiring. I just worry about the sustained on-going upkeep, cleanliness and maintenance aspects, of the upholstery, fittings, electrical charging points and toilets etc, considering our general propensity of not caring at all for public property.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Was the travel time Mysore to Chennai shorter by this new train compared to the older one?

Just marginally (20 minutes) faster. Shatabdi did the journey in 4:40 hrs, Vande Bharat is doing in 4:20 hrs.

By pace, this train is not doing any sort of justice to the Vande Bharat moniker averaging a mere 76 kph. For reference the Delhi-Varanasi does 100 kph and Bombay-Amadavad does 88 kph.

Only saving grace is that the fares are not a whole lot different from Shatabdi. Shatabdi charges 925 for Bangalore-Madras and Vande Bharat charges 940 INR.

Originally Posted by vigsom

The train completed the Bengaluru - Chennai run casually in a mere 4 hours and 20 minutes, despite being a few minutes late at the only stop viz.

Doesn't Vande Bharat get priority clearance like Shatabdi/Rajdhani? I remember Shatabdi/Rajdhani get 5-6 station clearance from the old Indian Railways forum days.

I see it on a daily basis for the Madras-Madurai Tejas, the track is closed a full 5-6 minutes and is among the fastest crossing day trains.

in stark contrast to what I saw in Oct-2021

Tell me about it! Last December I booked for the holiday season on 12th December. It is unimaginable now. It shows in your picture.

[vigsom]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

It will be even more critical that reasonably priced and clean train travel grows 10X so that we don't end up with over crowded commuter skies and meet our emission norms under the Paris Accord. The amount of energy and therefore emissions a train produces is a fraction per seat-mile compared to an airliner.

Questions: (a) Was the travel time Mysore to Chennai shorter by this new train compared to the older one? (b) How many pax to a bogie. I have presumed 60 in my calculation above. (c) Is there space for bigger bags or is the rack above the only place to keep luggage

Thank You, V.Narayan Sir. I'm happy to be able to showcase one of our prime modes of transport in the right light. I've said this before - I know many working executives who consider it demeaning to travel by train and take flights even if it was more inconvenient. If travel policies in companies were tied up to carbon footprint, it would be interesting to see the shift in such travellers' approach.

Replying to your questions:

a) as narayans80 pointed out, the Vande Bharat does Bengaluru - Chennai a mere 20- 30 mins faster, and this time reduction is only on account of faster acceleration, since top speeds on this sector are capped for various sections.
b) The AC Chair cars carry 78 passengers each, with the end coaches (the ones that also have the cockpits) carrying 45 each. My last post contains a pic of this "half coach"
c) There is space under the seat to take the typical 21" stroller. The overhead rack can take even those big 29 inchers that we use for international travel.

Originally Posted by PVS

If only there was a fast express departing Bengaluru post 1730 hours to Chennai, with a halt at Krishnarajapuram, it would have been better for the passengers, especially IT folks

This was just what I was thinking when I saw the departure time of Vande Bharat Express. Once this section speeds are up, I'd do the following:

1. Run Vande Bharat departing Chennai at 6am to reach Bengaluru by 10am, and in the return, have the departure Bengaluru set at 5:30pm to reach Chennai 9:30pm
2. Make the official Bengaluru stop Bangalore Cantt instead of KSR Bengaluru with an additional stop at KJM
3. Stagger the off-days of Vande Bharat and Shatabdi such that one of them plies on days the other isn't available

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

just worry about the sustained on-going upkeep, cleanliness and maintenance aspects, of the upholstery, fittings, electrical charging points and toilets etc, considering our general propensity of not caring at all for public property.

Agree with you, Shankar.balan. I saw the twist handle to one of the loos broken because someone would have yanked it hard

Originally Posted by narayans80

1. Only saving grace is that the fares are not a whole lot different from Shatabdi. Shatabdi charges 925 for Bangalore-Madras and Vande Bharat charges 940 INR.
2. Doesn't Vande Bharat get priority clearance like Shatabdi/Rajdhani? I remember Shatabdi/Rajdhani get 5-6 station clearance from the old Indian Railways forum days.

1. The base fare of the Vande Bharat Exp. is 728 against 519 for the Shatabdi. Shatabdi charges a dynamic fare while it is zero for Vande Bharat Exp. now.
2. Like all premium trains, the Vande Bharat gets priority clearance. In my journey, it got ahead of the Double Decker Exp. and other trains leaving upto 1 hour ahead of the Vande Bharat Express.

[Turbohead]

Any idea why only samosa was served?

Pre 2009, when we used to travel by the Shatabdi express from Mysore to Chennai, it was all about food! Snacks and drinks after departing from both Mysore and Bangalore and then dinner too!

Also a bit confused with the near clash in timings with the Shatabdi!

[PreludeSH]

With Metro available you dont need a stop at KR Puram ?
KSR main stop is needed since its Mysuru-Chennai. Hope the ticket for trains will have free travel on Metro trains.

I believe intra-state travel can be fulfilled by trains that are at least 100 kph average speed with good facilities. Goods trains are also needed and trains can easily upgrade to EVs

[Ferruccio]

Originally Posted by PVS

Right now, there is a slew of [daily] departures to Chennai in the post-noon slot starting with the DD at 1430, VB at 1500, Brindavan at 1510 and Chennai Shatabdi at 1615. After this the next train to Chennai is the mail at 2240.

I foresee before this decade is over there will be hourly departures of VB+ trains travelling at 180 km/h connecting key cities from all state capitals. This is just the beginning.