Major update on Vande Bharat sleeper trains, Railway minister says, 'The first...'

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has shared a major update on the upcoming Vande Bharat sleeper trains. The minister informed Parliament on Friday that the first prototype of the Vande Bharat sleeper trainset has been manufactured and will undergo field trials soon. In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Vaishnaw added that the timeline for the rollout of the train is subject to a successful completion of the trials. The Vande Bharat sleeper trains are planned for long and medium-distance journeys. 

According to the minister, the Vande Bharat sleeper trains are equipped with modern features and passenger amenities. The minister also highlighted some of the distinguished features and amenities of these trains, such as the automatic train protection system Kavach, the latest fire-safety standards compliance, crashworthy and jerk-free semi-permanent couplers and anti-climbers, a regenerative braking system for energy efficiency, higher average speed with quick deceleration and acceleration, among others.

READ | Delhi-Meerut RRTS: Integrated parking, commercial spaces to be developed at 6 stations, to offer...

Talking about medium-distance Vande Bharat train services, Vaishnaw said as on December 2, 136 Vande Bharat train services with chair-car coaches are running across the Indian Railways' network. Of these, 16 Vande Bharat Express services are catering to the needs of stations located in Tamil Nadu, he added. The minister said the longest-distance Vande Bharat train services are running between Delhi and Varanasi, covering a distance of 771 km.

(With inputs from PTI)