New Delhi, August 1 (UNI) Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday revealed plans for the upcoming launch of the 'Vande Bharat Sleeper' train aimed at enhancing comfort during long-distance journeys.
During his address in the Lok Sabha, Vaishnaw said "For long-distance travel of more than 700 km and 1000 km, the Vande Sleeper train has been designed.
The first train has already been manufactured and is currently undergoing testing"
On the issue of railway safety, the Railway Minister has announced a comprehensive plan to implement the automatic train-protection system, Kavach, across India’s rail network.
"The initiative comes as part of the government’s commitment to modernizing railway safety measures" he added.
Vaishnaw highlighted that Kavach 4.0, which received certification from the Research Designs and Standards Organisation on July 17, 2024, will be deployed extensively.
He noted that the system aims to significantly enhance safety by preventing train collisions and accidents.
The Union Minister also strongly rebutted the Opposition’s criticisms regarding recent train derailments and said, "During the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, the annual average number of accidents was 171, which has gone down by 68 percent during 10 years of the BJP government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi".
During the reply, Vaishnaw got annoyed over the Opposition calling him the ‘Reel Minister’ and said the safety measures had been neglected during the Congress regime and the Opposition always wanted to politicise the issue.
UNI JA CS1925