Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the 15th of February, launched the most awaited Train 18, also known as the Vande Bharat Express.
After the terrorist attack in Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir, on the 14th of February, the launch of the train attracted criticism.
Alka Lamba, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader, criticised Modi for his actions, despite the mourning in the Nation, post the sacrifice of the lives by 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Jawans, in the Pulwama terror attack.
Ms. Lamba said, “If the Prime Minister had some shame, then the train’s inauguration could have been done a few days later or without your going there.”
Sambit Patra, the spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP,) bluntly responded to this and said, “We want to send out a message. We want to make it clear that while all political programmes have been cancelled as we stand by the nation, but the development works of the country would continue with even more speed.”
The Vande Bharat Express is the first Indian train with a speed of 160 km per hour (kmph.) The train was formerly known as Train 18 and is equipped with 16 air conditioned coaches, WiFi, GPS based passenger information, LED lights and mobile charging points.
The train will initially travel from Delhi to Varanasi in a time span of 9 hours and 45 minutes. The train is faster than the Rajdhani Express and the fare of the train ticket is Rs. 1,760 for a chair car seat and Rs. 3,310 for a seat in the executive class.
