Train-18 or the Vande Bharat Express, the first 'Make in India' semi high-speed train is poised to revolutionise rail travel in the country. EPISODE #113
Very interesting article on Vande bharat. It is another feather in the cap of India's National Railway network, which is fourth largest in the world. These trains are equipped with world class passenger amenities and better energy efficiency. It is a major step forward in the modernization of our economy!!
Thanks for today's article with the focus on Vande Bharat. I have always been a great fan of the Indian Railways with it's great network connecting the entire country. Vande Bharat is like the icing on the cake and it's a pity that it's anniversary went unnoticed. No doubt customer satisfaction is a very important factor. However, what about the responsibility of the commuters? The amount of trash which is strewn about is a most annoying and irresponsible behaviour. Not to mention the instances of stone pelting which is positively unpardonable. Makes one wonder whether we really deserve Vande Bharat or not.
Thank you for your appreciation. Glad today's piece resonated with you.
You are spot on when you say that we consumers need to respect public infrastructure like we would with our personal cars etc. There are good stories--like the Delhi Metro--where users respect the rules. Unfortunately, the minute they leave the station their bad behaviour flips back on.
There is a lesson here. The Metro enforces the rules and people adhere. If you recall in the 1970s Kiran Bedi, who was then the Traffic Commissioner, started implementing a Rs100 fine for crossing the stop line. Overnight infractions came to a stop. Till of course she was unceremoniously transferred for cutting a challan on a politician.
But, we have come a long way from there.
Today islands of excellence are proliferating. Only a matter of time before we learn to use these facilities. Just remember that till a decade ago, only the rich or semi-rich flew. Today, almost everyone travels by it--and they are all learning how to use the facilities.
Change is never easy. And in India it is excruciatingly slow. But today with the growth in the number of stakeholders, everyone is inside looking out and not outside looking in--easier to realise your responsibilities as a stakeholder.
Our main stream media requires a serious introspection. They waste enough time on covering some random Bollywood wedding then something as relevant as this - where is our nation's pride going ?!
As always, an insightful column. This will spur support for the bullet trains. Aspirations will be raised. Infrastructure will gain higher and higher priority than in prior decades because people will demand it. Overall, a virtuous circle, although, as we have seen in Maharashtra under MVA government, there will be bumps along the way.
Thank you for your kind words of encouragement. They matter a lot.
You are spot on. People have experienced the benefits of state of the art infrastructure. In the past they were forced to pay for inferior infra and always felt cheated.
Recall Arun Jaitley telling me in the earlier years of this government that user charges can only be increased once proof of concept of good infrastructure is provided, not once, not twice, but as a way of life. If around today he would have felt good at what India is beginning to experience.
Look forward to your continued participation Shiv.
Wonderful article again :). For me the most important aspect is that the average Indian Railway user has overwhelmingly given a thumbs up. The old elite attitude towards progress and modernization is always couched in India being poor country and that such luxuries will not make sense in India. However the high level utilization proves otherwise.
Also for large section politicians, road and rail infra was not seen a vote enabler, but Vande Bharat is showing the transformation in India and Indians. The demand for VB for many sections is now forcing MP, MLAs to actively pitch for VB trains to their constituents. I would also like to bring to your attention the near completion of Bangalore-Mysore expressway where politicians are fighting for credit. An MP (rightly deserves given the personal intervention) is appreciated across the state for getting the expressway.
I am hopefully once Bullet train and RRTS starts their pilot runs, we shall see demands from other states and regions. This should bring more impetus towards infra and capacity spending than doles. It would surely a grand day where a state government decides against reinstating OPS and rather spend it on a expressway/Semi-High speed rail and publicly states the same.
PS - One thing I would love to know is whether any action was taken against the folks in railways who made malicious accusation against the Train 18 team and made them face vigilance committees rather than being facilitated. Far too long, India has been pulled back by such elements and they need to be corrected.
Apologies for the long rant. Appreciate your sub stack :)
Thank you so much for the kind words and such a detailed response.
You are so right. Vande Bharat has also challenged the idea of so-called luxury--which in itself is such a subjective phrase; after all even a landline till the 1990s was considered a luxury.
The command, control regime reflected in the Licence Raj stymied growth of business and fostered corruption. Worse it destroyed self-belief and made status quo sacred. Exactly why even the brilliant among us could never thrive.
That is what Vande Bharat has disrupted. The audacity of a bunch of personnel has overturned decades of neglect and stasis.
There was no demand for such products as we never knew it was possible to create them in India. Now Railways has told us 'yes we can'.
You are spot on about the Bullet Train and RRTS and the host of new expressways. I recall a Planning Commission member in charge of infrastructure telling me that the idea of tolls was such a disaster and that no one would pay. A claim that lies buried today, especially with the introduction of FasTag.
Finally, have no idea if the Railways initiated any internal action. The best deterrent in my view is the success of Vande Bharat. You vilified the team, Sudanshu Mani and yet we have a world class product on hand. Nothing speaks like success--especially in shutting up these cynical and motivated naysayers.
Thank you so much Madhu. So true. None of us would have imagined this kind of monumental transformation in our life time. But here we are. Consider myself lucky to witness this makeover. And hopefully many more before....
Great and informative as always. Continue the good work.
Dear Ajeet,
Thank you so much for the kind words of encouragement.
So glad to hear from you.
Look forward to your continued participation.
Best
Anil
Very interesting article on Vande bharat. It is another feather in the cap of India's National Railway network, which is fourth largest in the world. These trains are equipped with world class passenger amenities and better energy efficiency. It is a major step forward in the modernization of our economy!!
Dear Vandana,
Thank you for your thoughts. Absolutely. It is probably the tipping point in the story of the Indian Railways.
Best
Anil
Dear Anil
Thanks for today's article with the focus on Vande Bharat. I have always been a great fan of the Indian Railways with it's great network connecting the entire country. Vande Bharat is like the icing on the cake and it's a pity that it's anniversary went unnoticed. No doubt customer satisfaction is a very important factor. However, what about the responsibility of the commuters? The amount of trash which is strewn about is a most annoying and irresponsible behaviour. Not to mention the instances of stone pelting which is positively unpardonable. Makes one wonder whether we really deserve Vande Bharat or not.
Dear Ranjini,
Thank you for your appreciation. Glad today's piece resonated with you.
You are spot on when you say that we consumers need to respect public infrastructure like we would with our personal cars etc. There are good stories--like the Delhi Metro--where users respect the rules. Unfortunately, the minute they leave the station their bad behaviour flips back on.
There is a lesson here. The Metro enforces the rules and people adhere. If you recall in the 1970s Kiran Bedi, who was then the Traffic Commissioner, started implementing a Rs100 fine for crossing the stop line. Overnight infractions came to a stop. Till of course she was unceremoniously transferred for cutting a challan on a politician.
But, we have come a long way from there.
Today islands of excellence are proliferating. Only a matter of time before we learn to use these facilities. Just remember that till a decade ago, only the rich or semi-rich flew. Today, almost everyone travels by it--and they are all learning how to use the facilities.
Change is never easy. And in India it is excruciatingly slow. But today with the growth in the number of stakeholders, everyone is inside looking out and not outside looking in--easier to realise your responsibilities as a stakeholder.
Fingers crossed.
Best
Anil
Our main stream media requires a serious introspection. They waste enough time on covering some random Bollywood wedding then something as relevant as this - where is our nation's pride going ?!
Dear Atul,
Thank you for your thoughts. Agree with you. Even if it is not a case of either/or, surely there is enough place to prominently display such content.
Best
Anil
As always, an insightful column. This will spur support for the bullet trains. Aspirations will be raised. Infrastructure will gain higher and higher priority than in prior decades because people will demand it. Overall, a virtuous circle, although, as we have seen in Maharashtra under MVA government, there will be bumps along the way.
Dear Shiv,
Thank you for your kind words of encouragement. They matter a lot.
You are spot on. People have experienced the benefits of state of the art infrastructure. In the past they were forced to pay for inferior infra and always felt cheated.
Recall Arun Jaitley telling me in the earlier years of this government that user charges can only be increased once proof of concept of good infrastructure is provided, not once, not twice, but as a way of life. If around today he would have felt good at what India is beginning to experience.
Look forward to your continued participation Shiv.
Best
Anil
Wonderful article again :). For me the most important aspect is that the average Indian Railway user has overwhelmingly given a thumbs up. The old elite attitude towards progress and modernization is always couched in India being poor country and that such luxuries will not make sense in India. However the high level utilization proves otherwise.
Also for large section politicians, road and rail infra was not seen a vote enabler, but Vande Bharat is showing the transformation in India and Indians. The demand for VB for many sections is now forcing MP, MLAs to actively pitch for VB trains to their constituents. I would also like to bring to your attention the near completion of Bangalore-Mysore expressway where politicians are fighting for credit. An MP (rightly deserves given the personal intervention) is appreciated across the state for getting the expressway.
I am hopefully once Bullet train and RRTS starts their pilot runs, we shall see demands from other states and regions. This should bring more impetus towards infra and capacity spending than doles. It would surely a grand day where a state government decides against reinstating OPS and rather spend it on a expressway/Semi-High speed rail and publicly states the same.
PS - One thing I would love to know is whether any action was taken against the folks in railways who made malicious accusation against the Train 18 team and made them face vigilance committees rather than being facilitated. Far too long, India has been pulled back by such elements and they need to be corrected.
Apologies for the long rant. Appreciate your sub stack :)
Dear Lakshmisha,
Thank you so much for the kind words and such a detailed response.
You are so right. Vande Bharat has also challenged the idea of so-called luxury--which in itself is such a subjective phrase; after all even a landline till the 1990s was considered a luxury.
The command, control regime reflected in the Licence Raj stymied growth of business and fostered corruption. Worse it destroyed self-belief and made status quo sacred. Exactly why even the brilliant among us could never thrive.
That is what Vande Bharat has disrupted. The audacity of a bunch of personnel has overturned decades of neglect and stasis.
There was no demand for such products as we never knew it was possible to create them in India. Now Railways has told us 'yes we can'.
You are spot on about the Bullet Train and RRTS and the host of new expressways. I recall a Planning Commission member in charge of infrastructure telling me that the idea of tolls was such a disaster and that no one would pay. A claim that lies buried today, especially with the introduction of FasTag.
Finally, have no idea if the Railways initiated any internal action. The best deterrent in my view is the success of Vande Bharat. You vilified the team, Sudanshu Mani and yet we have a world class product on hand. Nothing speaks like success--especially in shutting up these cynical and motivated naysayers.
Look forward to your continued participation.
Best
Anil
Great article ! Who would have believed that this was possible when we travelled in those non air-conditioned trains with dirty bathrooms as children.
Thank you so much Madhu. So true. None of us would have imagined this kind of monumental transformation in our life time. But here we are. Consider myself lucky to witness this makeover. And hopefully many more before....
Best
Anil