Vande Bharat White v/s Orange trains: Back-to-back journey comparison

Both Vande Bharat journeys were short distances and on the same day.

BHPian vigsom recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Introduction

This is a review cum travelogue of my back-to-back journeys by two Vande Bharat Expresses on the same day - first by a white and the second by an orange.

What's in store for readers?

• Few visible differences between the white and orange Vande Bharat Expresses
• Pictures of the landscape en-route, many of them rare and exciting
• Other small yet significant details around the trains, some station

Why back-to-back Vande Bharat Expresses?

I had to travel from Solpaur in MH to Surat in GJ and saw no direct trains on my day of travel - even if there were, accommodation was always a challenge. Although it involved a changeover in Mumbai, and some waiting time, taking two Vande Bharat Expresses back to back made sense due to the overall lowest travel time.

Trip Info

1. Travel time: 10 on 10 - (a) Solapur to Dadar by a White Vande Bharat Express approx. 450 kms in 6 hours 15 minutes (b) Mumbai Central to Surat by a 2024 newly launched orange Vande Bharat Express 263kms in 2 hours 50 mins
2. Comfort and Cleanliness: 9 on 10
3. Food and bev on board: 8 on 10
4. On-time performance: 9.5 on 10

What could be improved on-board

1. Too many pre-recorded announcements other than arrival info eg. welcoming passengers, giving info on chargeability of food and bev, if not pre-booked was quite irritating. It is better to limit announcements just to the next arriving station
2. Some design is made impractical and then corrected eg. bottle holders, and charging points and then corrected. They should have been right the first time
3. Food and bev options are carb-heavy and more importantly sugar-heavy - high-time healthy options are introduced. The only nice options are digestive biscuits, black coffee and Poha/Upma

Continue reading BHPian vigsom's train review for more insights and information.