CHENNAI: Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday inspected the manufacturing of Vande Bharat 2.0 range of trains at the Integral Coach Factory here.

Accompanied by General Manager U Subba Rao, the minister inspected the furnishing division of ICF, sleeper coaches of Vande Bharat 2.0 trains and pantry cars currently under production at the facility.

Inaugurated in 1955, the Integral Coach Factory is one of the earliest production units in the country. Spread over 511 acres, ICF has more than 9,300 employees who are engaged in production of over 2,500 coaches per year.

The Vande Bharat 2.0 trains can save up to 30 per cent of the electrical energy and are equipped with advanced features including KAVACH - the train collision avoidance system.

It would be able to attain maximum speed of 180 kmph, and would be lighter, weighing 392 tonnes instead of the earlier 430 tonnes. The Vande Bharat 2.0 would also have better fire safety features and floodproofing mechanism to withstand floods upto 650mm height.