Can the newly announced Vande Metro train run in Mumbai? How is it different from AC locals and regular Metro trains? These are some of the questions on the minds of city rail officials, who eventually opined that it’s not meant for the suburban network but for inter-city and mainline. Announcing the Vande Metro train in the Budget, Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw said that unlike the 16-coach Vande Bharat Express trains, it would have only eight.

It will help connect smaller routes so that students, traders and people from the service industry can travel to and from hometowns with ease and comfort, Vaishnaw had said. Vande Metro trains will run on high frequency between cities that are less than 100 km apart. The production and design will be completed by December 2023, he had said.