New Delhi: Indian Railways can be expected to roll out the very first version of Vande Bharat sleeper trains soon. BG Mallya, General Manager of Integral Coach Factory (ICD), said, “Sleeper coach of Vande Bharat will be rolled out in the current financial year where the first train is under production and will be rolled out in March 2024”.
The Vande Bharat sleeper train will enable passengers to travel long distances overnight, due to its high-speed nature. It will be an important addition to the fleet of Indian Railways.
Mallya also informed the launch of the Vande Metro, which will be a 12-coach train travelling a short distance. It is expected that the train will be rolled out in January 2024.
Vande Bharat Express, India’s semi-high-speed train, operates in all electrified states of the country. It currently has 50 operational services, offering modern amenities and reducing travel time for passengers.
The first Vande Bharat Express commenced its journey on February 15, 2019, between New Delhi and Varanasi, inaugurated by the Prime Minister. These trains are produced at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai.
The project to build indigenous semi-high-speed train sets began in mid-2017, and the ICF Chennai completed Train-18 in just 18 months. In January 2019, India’s first semi-high-speed train was renamed Vande Bharat Express to highlight its “Made in India” status. It achieved a top speed of 180 kmph on the Kota-Sawai Madhopur section.
