Kochi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman took a ride on the Vande Bharat Express from Kochi to Thiruvananthapuram on Friday.

Expressing her enthusiasm, the Union Minister highlighted that this was her inaugural experience traveling on the semi-high-speed train since its inauguration in September 2022 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Taking to the social media platform X, Sitharaman shared, "Embarking on a journey aboard #VandeBharat from Kochi to Thiruvananthapuram. Vande Bharat was introduced by @PMOIndia @narendramodi in September 2022. After a year, I have the chance to experience this remarkable journey. The train's popularity is evident as it consistently runs at full capacity. Kudos to @RailMinIndia."

In a similar vein, in September of this year, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey also rode on the Howrah-Patna Vande Bharat Express train. Dubey was accompanied by fellow party MP SS Ahluwalia and Eastern Railway's Chief Public Relations Officer, Kaushik Mitra during the inaugural trip of this indigenous train.

The maiden Vande Bharat Express, inaugurated by the Prime Minister, initially operated between New Delhi and Varanasi. Constructed at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, this train exemplifies India's 'Make-In-India' initiative and showcases the nation's engineering capabilities.

Taking a ride on #VandeBharat from Kochi to Thiruvanathapuram. Vande Bharat was introduced by @PMOIndia @narendramodi in September 2022. It is after a year that I have the opportunity to travel in one of them. Being popular, the train runs fully booked. Well done @RailMinIndia pic.twitter.com/YKOQF7OmNY

— Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) November 24, 2023

The endeavor to manufacture indigenous semi-high-speed train sets commenced in mid-2017, culminating in the completion of Train-18 within 18 months by ICF Chennai. Renamed Vande Bharat Express in January 2019, this milestone emphasized its indigenous status. Notably, the train attained a maximum speed of 180 kmph on the Kota-Sawai Madhopur section, highlighting its technical prowess and performance.

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