Faster than Rajdhani, Vande Bharat sleeper trains to be rolled out by 2025

The country's first sleeper Vande Bharat train will be faster than the current premium Rajdhani trains, thus offering minimum travel time adding to the convenience of travelers, two government officials confirmed. The officials said that the trains will reduce travel time by two hours.

They also said that the Vande Bharat sleeper trains, whose first prototype is expected to be ready by March, and test runs will begin from April.

"We are aiming to make the train operational by next year end," one of the officials stated above said.

“The Vande Bharat (VB) sleeper coaches that are being designed in the ICF (Integral Coach Factory in Chennai) will cut travel time by two hours, thus reaching the destination station faster than any other train currently in the IR (Indian Railways’) system,” he added.

“The sleeper VB train will operate on routes with overnight journey. Its first route will be on either of the trunk routes (Delhi- Mumbai, Delhi- Howrah) and is aimed to be completed latest by April,” he added.

The official also said that the train timing are also being discussed.

"The timing of this train will be such that more passengers would be able to travel. We are planning to have a time comfortable for people to board the train after their office hours," he said.

Read here: New Vande Bharat on Mum-Jalna route triggers Kalyan-Kasara-Karjat local train passengers

Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had in October last year, posted on X and said that the basic design of the Vande Bharat Sleeper trains was approved and the manufacturing of the train sets had begun.

"Vande Bharat sleeper, Amrit Bharat and Namo Bharat trains are transforming passenger experience. These ‘Made in India’ advanced trainsets have huge potential for exports," the minister told the paper.

The second official said that the first of its kind train is undergoing major modifications in terms of its interiors and will be focused on providing jerk-free rides for passengers. He said that the VB sleeper train will have a completely new look by not only bringing in modern interior designs but also designs that add on to the comfort of the passengers.

This train (at least the first set of coaches), a railways official said, will consist of 16 coaches, having only one coach of 1AC tier, 857 berths overall.

He said that ICF and the Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) factory based in Bengaluru are manufacturing the new sleeper version of the Vande Bharat Express trains.

“The concept model of all types of cars (2 tier, 2 tier and 1 AC) has been received (from BEML) in the ICF,” the official said.

“In 3 Tier coaches, features like additional hand- holders that are required at the side of the berths and at the partition wall, changed belt system (retractable type) for the middle berth, and bulky snack table will be modified,” he said.

“Thickness will be decreased to have enough height from berth to berth and berth to ceiling. Lightings in all the coaches will be improved for enhanced travel experience,” he added.

“The design of the berths, air duct, cable duct, washrooms are all being worked on. Currently, BEML, is manufacturing ten such trains for ICF,” the official concluded.