Mark Mobius, better known as the Indiana Jones of emerging market investing, embarked on a month-long journey across the length and breadth of India, exploring diverse cities and gaining firsthand insights into the country's dynamic landscape.
The purpose behind his Indian odyssey was to get a better "investment perspective" of India. However, the highlight of his journey was how he was left spellbound by the semi-high-speed Vande Bharat Express.
The US-born German fund manager and founder of Mobius Capital Partners LLP took a journey on the Vande Bharat Express from Jaipur to Udaipur and raved about the train service in a blog post. He wrote: "We faced skepticism and warnings against taking a seven-hour train ride. Undeterred, we chose the opulent 'executive chair car' aboard the Vande Bharat Express over the standard class. Priced at $30 per person, the experience surpassed our expectations, offering plush reclining seats, two delectable meals of Indian cuisine, and impeccable service."
Each 16-coach Vande Bharat Express train costs approximately Rs 120 crore and the government plans to connect every nook and corner of the country through these semi-high-speed trains.
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The inaugural journey of the Vande Bharat Express train, originally named Train 18, took place on February 15, 2019. As of January 2024, over 40 semi-high-speed trains had been introduced across the country, which not only reduce travel time between cities, but offer passengers an opportunity to view India's scenic landscape through its expansive glass windows.
The inaugural route from New Delhi to Kanpur, Allahabad, and Varanasi set the stage for the Vande Bharat's revolutionary journey. This medium-distance train service operated by Indian Railways connects cities which are less than 10 hours apart. These trains can achieve semi-high speeds — however, the maximum permissible speed of the train is limited to 160 km/hour on a section of the Delhi-Bhopal service, and 110–130 km/hour on other services, due to certain restrictions.
Also read: How much time will travellers save after launch of 9 new Vande Bharat trains? Check routes
Notably, the train has achieved 183 km/hour speed during trials, which is much higher than the certified speed 160 km/hour speed. These trains go from 0 to 100 km/hour in under 50 seconds.
The Railways has announced a massive capex of Rs 1 lakh crore to be executed over five-seven years, to meet its target of launching 75 semi-high speed trains on prominent routes across the country by the end of this year.
(Edited by : Jerome Anthony)
First Published: Jan 3, 2024 6:28 PM IST
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