Vande Bharat Sleeper: There is good news for those waiting for Vande Bharat Sleeper Train. After the success of Vande Bharat trains, the railways is planning to introduce Vande Bharat Sleeper trains soon. It is being told that India’s first Vande Bharat Sleeper train is expected to start by the end of this year. Vande Bharat Sleeper Train will be the third version of the Vande Bharat series. Vande Bharat series trains include chair-car train and then Vande Metro operated in Gujarat. According to U. Subba Rao, General Manager of Integral Coach Factory (ICF) Chennai, the first Vande Bharat Sleeper train will be ready by next month.
Speaking to Moneycontrol, Rao said the manufacturing of the first train will be completed by September 20 at Bharat Earth Movers Limited’s (BEML) Bengaluru plant. “BEML is integrating the coaches and we expect the coaches to reach Chennai’s ICF by September 20. We will then carry out rake manufacturing, final testing and commissioning, which will take around 15-20 days. It will then undergo main line trials, which will take two months. This will also include oscillation testing under the Lucknow-based Railway Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO). Trial runs for high-speed tests will be carried out in the North Western Railway zone,” Rao said.
Design work of Vande Bharat Sleeper is going on
In May 2023, ICF Chennai placed an order with BEML Limited for the design and manufacture of 10 rakes of 16-car Vande Bharat sleeper train sets. The trains will be capable of running at a maximum speed of 160 kmph. “This is the first Vande Bharat sleeper train, so it is taking a little longer to complete. It will meet European standards and will become operational by December 2024 after all tests and trial runs,” Rao said.
What will be the facilities in Vande Bharat Sleeper
With the Vande Bharat Sleeper train, Indian Railways is planning to provide its passengers a world-class travel experience similar to Europe’s Nightjet sleeper trains on night journeys. A source said that there will be LED strips under the staircase for passengers to go to the washroom when the lights are off at night. Apart from this, there will also be separate berths for train attendants. The 16-coach Vande Bharat Sleeper train will have a total of 823 berths, which will include 11 3AC coaches (611 berths), 4 2AC coaches (188 berths), and 1 1AC coach (24 berths). The train has been developed by BEML and Hyderabad-based Medha Servo Drives Limited, with design inputs from Poland-based European rail consultant, EC Engineering.