NEW DELHI: In a first for Indian Railways, a dedicated maintenance depot for Vande Bharat Express trains is being built at Bhagat Ki Kothi in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur Railway Division, a senior railway official confirmed on Tuesday. The facility is the first of its kind in the country, with four such depots planned across India.Speaking about the landmark project, Jodhpur Divisional Railway Manager Anurag Tripathi told ANI, “The Vande Bharat maintenance depot being built at Bhagat Ki Kothi in Jodhpur Division is the first of its kind in the country. It will handle maintenance for Vande Bharat trains from across India. Spread over 600 meters, it will have three pit lines to service three trains at once. Four more such depots are planned nationwide, but this is the first under construction.“The depot, expected to be operational by end of 2025, will play a crucial role in the upkeep of India’s fastest trains. Tripathi also revealed that a Rs 200 crore proposal has been submitted to build an adjacent workshop and training centre.“Recruitment will happen through the Railway Recruitment Board, followed by training and deployment. We’ve also proposed a new Rs 200 crore project to build a workshop and training centre near the depot. Once approved, tenders will be floated and work will begin… The maintenance depot is expected to be ready by the end of this year… The workshop and training centre will take longer but will move swiftly once started...” Tripathi said.The Vande Bharat Express represents a new era in Indian Railways, focused on high-speed, self-reliant and sustainable transport solutions. The first train of this class was flagged off on February 15, 2019, on the New Delhi-Kanpur-Allahabad-Varanasi route, reaching speeds of 160 km/h.These indigenous trains are part of a broader push to upgrade maintenance infrastructure and technology for improved efficiency and performance of railway assets and personnel.(With inputs from ANI)