Member-only story
Vande Bharat: The South Indian ICE Train Experience. But better.
Like the German train, but with 5-star service in under 17€.
The two women blocking the entrance were surprised that we opened the doors by ourselves with a button press.
Somebody had told them they have to be let in by the train-master. I giggled.
This week, the Indian Railway launched Vande Bharat Express super fast train in between Hyderabad and Tirupati, about 600km of distance. (An 8-hour journey as per plan)
We booked one of the first trips on the shiny blue train, strikingly similar in appearance and design to the German Inter City Express, the ICE.
A few moments inside I realized that it isn’t “similar" to the ICE, it is the same, down to the T.
It is the same train Including the color, announcement screens, toilets, even the pattern of the print on the seat covers.
..but wait, it gets better.
The train comes with a steward-service AND snacks, all included in it’s ticket of 1500 rupees (about 17 Eur). This meant coffee, tea, breakfast, lunch…
