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Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw hit back at the Congress over low occupancy of Vande Bharat trains saying that the occupancy of Vande Bharat trains on Tuesday was 98 per cent and in the present financial year it is 103 per cent.
"Its time to prick the bubble of Congress lies. Occupancy of Vande Bharat trains on 7th May is 98%. Occupancy in FY 2024-25 (till 7th May) is 103%. Does Congress want Vande Bharat to stop?" Vaishnaw said in a post on 'X'. This came after the Kerala unit of the Congress shared on 'X' that the fares of Vande Bharat express trains are exorbitant and most of the trains run empty. Sharing data sourced from IRCTC, the Kerala Congress wrote, "This data, sourced from IRCTC just hours before train departures, focuses solely on the General category, excluding Tatkal bookings. Despite the holiday season prompting increased travel among families nationwide, bookings for Vande Bharat remain surprisingly low." On the exorbitant fare of the Vande Bharat trains, the Kerala Congress said that while people from affluent regions can afford a ride in the premier train, those from "economically disadvantaged areas" struggle to do so. "Moreover, this data highlights a concerning trend regarding economic disparities. Affluent regions demonstrate a higher ability to afford Vande Bharat, while economically disadvantaged areas struggle to access these costly services," the party wrote. The Vande Bharat Express can run up to a maximum speed of 160 kmph and has travel classes like Shatabdi Train but with better facilities. Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai, a Railways Production unit, has been the force behind a completely in-house design and manufacturing. All coaches are equipped with automatic doors; GPS-based audio-visual passenger information system, on-board hotspot Wi-Fi for entertainment purposes, and very comfortable seating. The executive class also has rotating chairs. The Vande Bharat Express has 16 air-conditioned coaches of which two are executive class coaches. The total seating capacity is 1,128 passengers. It is much more than the conventional Shatabdi rake of an equal number of coaches. (ANI)
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