The Railway Ministry is gearing up for the challenging target of launching 75 Vande Bharat trains over the course of 75 weeks of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, as announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day earlier this year.

According to the Railway Ministry documents seen by News18, at least 35 Vande Bharat rakes have been approved in the Coach Production Programme for the current financial year, while 67 have been approved for the next financial year (2023-24).

Prime Minister Modi will be flagging off a Vande Bharat Express, the sixth such train, connecting Nagpur and Bilaspur on December 11 when he visits Maharashtra. The Railways Ministry is aiming to induct at least 75 Vande Bharat trains by August 2023. The clock is ticking with eight months left for the deadline.

The first Vande Bharat Express train was flagged off on February 15, 2019, between New Delhi and Varanasi. The fifth such train was flagged on November 11, 2022 between Mysuru and Chennai. The official journey of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav commenced on March 12, 2021. This started a 75-week countdown to the 75th anniversary of Independence. It will end on August 15, 2023.