Both Vande Bharat journeys were short distances and on the same day.
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Introduction
This is a review cum travelogue of my back-to-back journeys by two Vande Bharat Expresses on the same day – first by a white and the second by an orange.
What’s in store for readers?
- Few visible differences between the white and orange Vande Bharat Expresses
- Pictures of the landscape en-route, many of them rare and exciting
- Other small yet significant details around the trains, some station
Why back-to-back Vande Bharat Expresses?
I had to travel from Solpaur in MH to Surat in GJ and saw no direct trains on my day of travel – even if there were, accommodation was always a challenge. Although it involved a changeover in Mumbai, and some waiting time, taking two Vande Bharat Expresses back to back made sense due to the overall lowest travel time.
Trip Info
- Travel time: 10 on 10 – (a) Solapur to Dadar by a White Vande Bharat Express approx. 450 kms in 6 hours 15 minutes (b) Mumbai Central to Surat by a 2024 newly launched orange Vande Bharat Express 263kms in 2 hours 50 mins
- Comfort and Cleanliness: 9 on 10
- Food and bev on board: 8 on 10
- On-time performance: 9.5 on 10
What could be improved on-board
- Too many pre-recorded announcements other than arrival info eg. welcoming passengers, giving info on chargeability of food and bev, if not pre-booked was quite irritating. It is better to limit announcements just to the next arriving station
- Some design is made impractical and then corrected eg. bottle holders, and charging points and then corrected. They should have been right the first time
- Food and bev options are carb-heavy and more importantly sugar-heavy – high-time healthy options are introduced. The only nice options are digestive biscuits, black coffee and Poha/Upma
Continue reading BHPian vigsom’s train review for more insights and information.
