PM Modi flags off new Vande Bharat train in Nagpur
What's the story
Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially flagged off Phase I of the Nagpur Metro rail project on Sunday.
Furthermore, PM Modi bought a ticket from the counter to ride on the Metro to Khapri from Freedom Park.
The Prime Minister laid the Phase II foundation stone of the rail project, which is set to be developed at more than Rs. 6,700 crores.
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Why does this story matter?
The Indian Railways named the nation's first indigenously built engine-less train in 2019 as the Vande Bharat Express, acknowledging its Make in India banner.
Under this initiative, the first train runs between Delhi and Varanasi.
The "Train 18" is also the first engine-less train built in the nation and the quickest train, clocking up to 180 km/h speed during the trial run.
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PM Modi takes a ride in metro
The PM interacted with students and travelers during his journey from Freedom Park.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi inaugurated the sixth Vande Bharat Express between Nagpur and Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh.
Upon his arrival in Nagpur, Narendra Modi was received by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, Nitin Gadkari, and Bhagat Singh Koshyari.
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Visuals from the flagging off ceremony
Flagged off the Vande Bharat Express between Nagpur and Bilaspur. Connectivity will be significantly enhanced by this train. pic.twitter.com/iqPZqXE4Mi
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 11, 2022
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What PM Modi said at the inaugural event?
"The projects inaugurated today will give a new direction to development in Maharashtra. These projects give a holistic vision of infrastructure in the state. Its a proof of how fast the double engine government in Maharashtra & at the Centre is working," PM Modi stated.
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Watch PM Modi playing traditional drum in Nagpur
#WATCH | PM Narendra Modi plays a traditional drum during his visit to Nagpur, Maharashtra today pic.twitter.com/grfI1M8Nmv
— ANI (@ANI) December 11, 2022
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Accidents involving Vande Bharat Express
The Vande Bharat Express met with four accidents in the past months.
One of the currently-operational trains, running on the Mumbai-Gandhinagar route, collided with a 54-year-old woman when she was crossing a railway track near the Anand railway station.
In October, the train crashed into a herd of buffaloes and later a cow in the state, damaging its front part.
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Know about ICF and Train 18 project
Integral Coach Factory (ICF) was founded in 1955 and rolled out more than 60,000 rail coaches until 2019.
However, it stopped making ICF coaches in 2020 as they were considered outdated for Shatabdi and Rajdhani and started manufacturing only state-of-the-art Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) coaches as part of Shatabdi and Rajdhani.
Former General Manager of ICF, Sudhanshu Mani, had tabled the Train 18 idea.