The first version of the Vande Bharat sleeper train with 857 berths, for which the design is being finalised, is slated to be out of Integral Coach Factory (ICF) Chennai by March 2024.
The sleeper Vande Bharat will have a total 823 berths for passengers and 34 for staff. Every coach will have three toilets, instead of four, and a mini pantry.
The prototype of the sleeper-edition Vande Bharat will be ready in December 2023 and it will be rolled out in March 2023, said Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
Currently, BEML is manufacturing 10 sleeper Vande Bharat trains for ICF and the design has been finalised by BEML in consultation with ICF.
Vaishnaw explained that the final design of sleeper Vande Bharat train has gone through many changes. “There were structural changes in sleeper design as there was a need for capacity enhancement,” he said.
The Vande Bharat sleeper trains will be a significant addition to the Indian Railways’ fleet, as the trains will facilitate long distance travel to passengers on these high-speed trains overnight.
The Railways has awarded a contract for manufacturing 200 sleeper Vande Bharat trains to the consortiums of TMH-RVNL and BHEL-Titagarh Wagons.
The Railway Minister stated that all the sleeper Vande Bharat trains will have the same design, as the final design will be adopted by both TMH and Titagarh.
The sleeper berth has been designed in such a way that it gives more comfort. Even the ladder for the upper berth has been designed such that, a passenger finds it easy to use and occupy.
Newly designed ladder for upper berths.
As of now there are 33 Vande Bharat trains with seating facility operational across the country. There will be a total 75 Vande Bharat trains with seating arrangement.
All these 75 Vande Bharat will be running for a day-long journey mostly in Shatabdi Express routes. After reaching the target of 75, there will be no manufacturing of Vande Bharat trains with seating facility.
Besides, the prototype of Vande Metro is also slated to be ready in December this year. Once the prototype is ready it will be out in February next year, said the Minister.
The Vande Metro will be a 12-coach train that will be used for short-distance travel.