India’s first Vande Bharat Sleeper Train to be launched this month
PM Modi will flag of the first Vande Bharat sleeper Train which will run between Guwahati and Howrah, Kolkata this month
New Delhi: Union Minister for Railways Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw announced ‘the first-ever Vande Bharat sleeper Train, will operate between Guwahati and Howrah, Kolkata at Rail Bhawan on Thursday.
The completion of trial, testing, and certification of the Vande Bharat Sleeper Train has been successfully done.
PM Narendra Modi will flag off the first Vande Bharat Sleeper on this route soon this month.
The train can travel at a speed of 180 kmph, but will maintain a speed of 130 kmph for this service due to safety reasons. The train will have 16 coaches, including 11 three-tier AC coaches, 4 two-tier AC coaches, and 1 first-class AC coach with a capacity of around 823 passengers.
Press release by the PIB India said, “The Minister stated that this development represents a significant milestone for Indian Railways, the nation, and its rail passengers. He also mentioned that 2026 will be a year of major reforms for Indian Railways, with several passenger-centric initiatives set to be introduced.”
The districts benefited from the launch of the first-ever Vande Bharat Sleeper train include Kamrup Metropolitan and Bongaigaon in Assam State, and Coochbehar, Jalpaiguri, Maldah, Murshidabad, Purba Bardhaman, Hooghly, and Howrah in West Bengal State.
Union Minister for Railways Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw says ,“We wanted to keep the fare substantially lower than the flight. so, the fare for 3 tier will be Rs 2300, Rs 3000 for 2tier, and Rs 3600 for 1ac, there will be no dynamic pricing in the train. The train running from Guwahati will have Assamese (cuisine) and the train running from Kolkata will serve Bangla food.”
The train is built with the automatic train protection system, Kavach, and the emergency talk-back system. It features disinfectant technology to maintain sanitation, a driver cab with advanced controls and aerodynamic exterior, and automatic exterior passenger doors.
Total eight Vande Bharat trains will be launched in the next 6 months and 12 by the end of this year. 200 Vande Bharat trains have been planned to be manufactured over the years hoping to achieve the goal by 2029.
