Railway
India's first 'Vande Bharat Express' train ran between:
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option A — New Delhi and Varanasi
Detailed Solution
India's first Vande Bharat Express was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 15 February 2019 on the New Delhi-Varanasi route, via Kanpur and Prayagraj. It covers the distance of about 760 km in about eight hours.
About the Vande Bharat Express:
It was originally called "Train 18", because it was planned to be built in 2018.
It was designed and built by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai, in about 18 months, under the "Make in India" initiative. It is India's first indigenous semi-high-speed train.
It does not have a separate engine (locomotive). Instead, it uses a "distributed traction" system, in which motors are spread across the coaches. This allows it to speed up and slow down faster.
It is designed for a top speed of 160-180 km/h, although actual operating speeds on most routes are lower because of track conditions.
It has features such as automatic doors, GPS-based passenger information systems, Wi-Fi, bio-vacuum toilets, rotating seats in the executive class, and CCTV cameras.
The second Vande Bharat Express was started between New Delhi and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra in October 2019.
Since then, many Vande Bharat trains have been introduced on routes across India. Newer versions include the "Vande Bharat 2.0" and the sleeper version for overnight journeys. A Vande Bharat train also runs to Srinagar in Kashmir via the Chenab bridge, the world's highest railway arch bridge, since 2025.
Other important trains:
- Gatimaan Express (2016): Delhi-Agra, India's first semi-high-speed train using a conventional locomotive (160 km/h).
- Tejas Express: run by IRCTC on some routes as a "private" train.
- Rajdhani Express (1969): first between New Delhi and Howrah.
Why not the other options?
- ✗New Delhi-Katra was the route of the second Vande Bharat Express (2019).
- ✗Mumbai-Gandhinagar and Chennai-Mysuru got Vande Bharat trains later (2022).
Quick tip
Remember: First Vande Bharat Express ("Train 18") = New Delhi-Varanasi (15 February 2019), built by ICF Chennai; second = New Delhi-Katra (2019).
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Industries & Transport in India — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Industries & Transport in India, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers India's major industries (iron and steel, textiles, cement, sugar, automobiles and information technology) and their locations, along with the transport network: railways, roads and national highways, ports, airports and waterways. Common questions ask where a steel plant is located and which country helped build it (Bhilai with the Soviet Union, Rourkela with Germany and Durgapur with Britain), which city is called the 'Manchester of India', and facts about major ports, railway zones and national highways. Practise the industries and transport questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.