Namo Bharat: India’s Indigenous Semi-High-Speed Regional Train Project

• Background: Namo Bharat was previously known as “RAPIDX”.
  • Namo Bharat is India’s first semi-high-speed regional train service project being run by NCRTC. 
  • National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), which is implementing India’s first semi-high-speed regional rail service project, has named the RRTS trains as ‘RAPIDX’ but later the name is changed to Namo Bharat. 
  • About RRTS: It is a new commuter train system that runs on rails and is semi-high-speed and high-frequency. Its top speed is 180 km/h.
• Make in India: Namo Bharat is indigenously manufactured with a designed speed potential of 180 kmph and operational speed potential of 160 kmph.
  • The train set was created by Alstom, a French company that makes coaches, in its engineering center in Hyderabad. 
  • Namo Bharat was made at an Alstom plant in Gujarat.

Key Features of Namo Bharat: India’s Cutting-Edge Semi-High-Speed Regional Train

• Seating for passengers: There will be six coaches, and each coach will have two rows of two seats. 
  • With 72 seats, the normal coach is the largest. The premium coach has 62 seats.
  • One train can hold 1,700 people, both sitting and standing.
• Guides: There are three kinds of guides: a general guide, a special guide, and a guide just for women.
• Facilities for Passengers: Each coach of Namo Bharat has Wi-Fi, CCTV cameras, emergency talkback buttons, information screens for passengers, and places to put your bags. There will be charging ports in every guest seat.
• Security: Each coach will have CCTV cameras that will be on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week to keep an eye on things and send alerts if anyone breaks in, if luggage is lost, or if there are too many people on board.
• Accessible: Wheelchairs and stretchers will have their own space in the last car of the trains.
• Speed: Namo Bharat will take less than an hour to cover 82 km between Delhi and Modipuram in Meerut.

Vande Bharat Express: India’s Pioneering Indigenous Semi-High-Speed Train Set

• About: Also known as Train 18, is the world’s first semi-high-speed passenger train on high-rise overhead electric (OHE) territory. 
  • It is India’s first indigenously designed and manufactured semi-high speed and self-propelled train set. 
• Inaugurated: The Vande Bharat Express Train was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019.
• Consumes Less Energy:  Vande Bharat Express has been designed to consume 30% less energy than Shatabdi Express trains. 
• Speed: The train has a top speed of 180 kmph, while the operational speed is 130 kmph. 
• Propulsion: The Vande Bharat Train is powered by a self-propulsion module, which means it does not require a locomotive to pull it.
• Comfort: Reclining ergonomic seats, revolving seats in executive class, and mobile charging sockets for every seat
• Safety: Fire suppression system, emergency brakes, and automatic sliding doors

Also Read: Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS): Significance, Features, and Future

RRTS: Revolutionizing Regional Transit

• About: It is a state-of-the-art regional mobility solution comparable to the best in the world. 
• Features: It is set to offer secure, reliable, and contemporary intercity transportation solutions in the nation. 
  • RRTS is a new rail-based, semi-high-speed, high-frequency commuter transit system. 
  • High-Speed Platform: RRTS is a transformational, regional development initiative, which is designed to provide high-speed trains for intercity commuting every 15 minutes, which can go up to a frequency of every 5 minutes as per requirement.”

NCRTC: Pioneering Urban Connectivity for Sustainable Development in NCR

• About: It is a joint venture company of Govt of India and States of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and U.P, under the administrative control of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
• Aim: Ensuring a balanced and sustainable urban development through better connectivity and access.
• Mandate: Implementing the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project across the NCR of India.