Train 18 generic name, will live forever as symbol of India's self reliance: former GM ICF

A day after Union minister Piyush Goyal named the railways' ambitious Train18 as Vande Bharat Express, the man who led the team of its manufacturers said the train will always be known by its generic name.

Acknowledging its made-in-India status, the Indian Railways Sunday named the indigenously manufactured semi-fast Train 18 as Vande Bharat Express.

The train will ply from the national capital to Varanasi, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said Sunday.

Sudhanshu Mani, the general manager of the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai, tweeted, "Happy that first Train18 service, Delhi-Varanasi, is named Vande Bharat Express, an apt name, recognizing the innovative hard work done by ICF, capturing the spirit of new self-reliant India...Train 18/T18, used by the PM himself, will live forever as a generic symbol of ICF's work".

He said it was wrong to say that the train has been renamed and termed such reports "misinformation".

"Train 18 is the generic name given to the 16 coach indigenous train set by me in consultation with the team at ICF... Every express train service using a Train 18 rake, however, will have a name suitable to the service, which is perfectly all right," he said.

The fully air-conditioned train will stop at Kanpur and Allahabad and will have two executive chair cars.

"It is completely made in India and various names were suggested by the general public but we have decided to name it Vande Bharat Express. A gift on the occasion of Republic Day to people. Will request the prime minister to flag it off," said Goyal while addressing the media on Sunday.

The 16-coach train, built in 18 months at a cost of Rs 97 crores by the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai, is regarded as a successor to the 30-year-old Shatabdi Express. It's also the first locomotive-less train in the country.