Passengers at Bengaluru railway station were in for a treat on Friday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the fifth Vande Bharat Express train connecting Mysuru, Bengaluru and Chennai.
Passengers who boarded the train on the inaugural run from Bengaluru railway station on Friday gave positive reviews about the train and lauded PM Modi for providing the first semi-high-speed train in South India.
The Chennai-Mysuru Vande Bharat Express is the fifth Vande Bharat train in the country and the first in South India. The service for the public will start on Saturday and will run six days a week.
Dr Gururaj Karji, a teacher from Bengaluru said, "We are happy that we have got the first Vande Bharat Express train in Karnataka. I'm so proud that the PM thought of all that and came to flag off this special train himself. I wish many more trains will be of that class and quality."
The passengers contended that the luxurious high-speed train is going to reduce their overall journey time and provide a comfortable train journey experience.
"Imagining just one-and-a-half-hour travel from Mysuru to Bengaluru is anybody's dream and we have just achieved that. As a citizen, I'm really happy about this initiative of the government and the quality it has provided," another passenger said.
"I am a frequent train traveller, and I'm also aware of the fact that this train has been indigenously built. It is going to be very good for connectivity, and it makes me really happy," Akshay, another passenger said.
The Vande Bharat Express was designed and manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory at Perambur, Chennai under the Make in India initiative.
The special train consists of 14-chair cars and two executive chair cars, and comes with automatic doors, smoke detectors, surveillance, odour control system, a GPS-based passenger information system, Wi-Fi hotspot, bio-vacuum toilets, sensory taps etc. and is faster than Shatabdi Express.
"Vande Bharat Express is a wonderful concept. This train is equipped with all modern amenities. This is one of the measures that make us stand as 'Vishwaguru' in front of the entire world," Rajshejkhar Patil, a passenger said.
"Travelling in Vande Bharat train is going to be an extraordinary experience for rail passengers," Tanisha Patil, a working woman, said.
( With inputs from ANI )
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