Chennai: The Vande metro that will be introduced instead of the memu trains has completed its first trial run on Saturday in the Chennai Beach – Katpadi route. The coaches of this train were built at the ICF in Peramboor and the metro accelerated up to a speed of 130 kilometres. Meanwhile, the Vende metro that departed the Chennai Beach station at 9.30 am ran via Villivakkam to reach Katpadi. The train reached the destination at 11.55 am and began the return journey by 12.15 pm, to reach Chennai Beach station at 2 pm. Around 100 passengers can sit and travel in the fully airconditioned coaches. Meanwhile, more than 200 passengers can stand in the coaches. Besides, automatic doors and modern bathrooms are arranged in the coaches. The Vande metro could be used in metro cities on routes that are 200 – 250 kilometres long. As per reports, the first service of Vande Metro will be in Mumbai.
Routes mooted in Kerala
It's expected that 10 Vande Metro services will be launched in Kerala. A few of the routes being considered for Vande Metro trains in Kerala are Ernakulam – Kozhikode, Kozhikode – Palakkad, Kozhikode – Mangalore, Palakkad – Kottayam, Ernakulam – Coimbatore, Madurai – Guruvayur, Thiruvananthapuram – Ernakulam, Kollam – Tirunelveli, Kollam – Thrissur, Mangaluru – Kozhikode and Nilambur – Mettupalayam.
Vande Metro structure
Vande Metro has the structure of a memu with a makeover. Every metro can hold up to 200 passengers. It will have automatic doors, upgraded toilet facilities, infotainment systems and more.
