Mumbai Vande Bharat: Before the launch, the trains will be trialled in the ghat section

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to launch Vande Bharat Express Trains will run on Mumbai-Solapur and Mumbai-Shirdi routes on February 10.

The Vande Bharat Express between Mumbai and Solapur is likely to run via Bhor Ghat (located between Karjat and Khandala on the way to Pune) and is expected to cover the distance of around 400 km between the two locations in 6.35 hours.

The Mumbai-Shirdi high-speed train is expected to run from Thal Ghat (at Kasara on the outskirts of Mumbai) and cover about 340 km between them in 5.25 hours.

Presently, all trains passing through these ghats are hauled by additional locomotives (called bankers) from the Mumbai side. According to the officials, they are hopeful of getting the train from the Integrated Coach Factory in Chennai next week and after that the trial run on both the ghat sections will be started immediately.

Bankers are used to push trains in the ghat section besides avoiding incidents of train rollback in case of separation of coaches. But the process of attaching and detaching bankers takes at least a few minutes, with technical glitches adding to travel time, an official said.

Abolition of bankers in ghat sections, both Vande Bharat Express Trains The official said that parking brakes will be installed which will prevent the train from rolling down the slope. Having a gradient of 1:37 means that there is an increase of 1 meter for every 37 meters run. According to officials, both Bhor and Thal ghats are among the toughest railway ghat sections in the county. The approximately 25 km long Bhor Ghat (also known as Khandala Ghat) stretches between Karjat and Khandala stations, while the 14 km long Thal Ghat (also known as Kasara Ghat) stretches between Kasara and Igatpuri sections. Both Ghats have many tunnels and high through ducts.

So far, the Center has started eight Vande Bharat Express trains on various inter-state routes including one between Mumbai and Gandhinagar.

It is an indigenously designed semi-high-speed self-propelled train set of 16 coaches. The train reaches a speed of 160 kmph in just 140 seconds and provides superior ride comfort to the passengers.

Vande Bharat Express trains have a control management system to monitor air conditioning and each coach is equipped with passenger information and an infotainment system. Equipped with automatic plug doors with sliding footsteps and touch-free sliding doors inside the coaches, the train is equipped with airplane-like bio-vacuum toilets. The train is also equipped with ‘Kavach’, a train collision avoidance system.