Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the first Vande Bharat sleeper train could be ready to hit the tracks in the next six months.
Earlier on March 9, Mr Vaishnaw had visited the Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) facility in Bengaluru to inspect the progress of manufacturing Vande Bharat sleeper coaches.
The current sleeper class trains of Indian Railways cause ergonomic difficulties for passengers travelling on the middle and upper berths, as the height between the passenger and the ceiling is very low, leading to lack of headroom for the passenger.
“The new car body height of Vande Bharat sleeper trains will be higher, and the roof portion has been redesigned to make it aerodynamic, stable and convenient for passengers,” Mr Vaishnaw said.
10 Vande Bharat sleeper trains with around 16 coaches each will be introduced for a trial period over a period of six months. “Once the trial is successful, mass manufacturing of coaches will begin,” Mr Vaishnaw said. All Vande Bharat sleeper trains will be fitted with anti-collision system armor already in place, he said.
Internationally, the manufacturing cost of a coach is around Rs 10 crore. However, the cost of a Vande Bharat sleeper coach comes to around Rs 8 to 9 crore, as the design of the train is indigenous, Mr Vaishnav said.
Each coach will be able to accommodate around 67 passengers. “Stainless steel car-body, anti-accident design elements, automatic outer passenger doors and sensor-based intercommunication doors are the features of the new sleeper trains,” Mr Vaishnav said.
Also, the foot area of the staircase to enter the train has been improved for easy entry of passengers. The design of the toilets is new and the control of air conditioning is better, Mr Vaishnav said.
10 Vande Bharat Sleeper Train Sets Planned
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has announced plans to produce 10 Vande Bharat Sleeper train sets. BEML is set to manufacture these sets, with additional projects for Vande Bharat Sleeper also in progress. Vande Bharat Sleeper trains are designed for speeds of up to 160 kmph, with fast acceleration and deceleration, aimed at significantly reducing travel time on popular routes with high density of Indian Railways.
Vande Bharat Sleeper train Features
Modern passenger amenities Modular pantry Crash-worthy features Best-in-class interiors with GFRP panels
Public announcement and visual information system
Aerodynamic exterior look
Special berths and toilets for differently-abled
Ergonomically designed odour-free toilet system
Automatic external passenger doors
Vande Bharat Sleeper Train coach
The first prototype of the Vande Bharat Sleeper train set will consist of 11 AC 3-tier coaches, 4 AC 2-tier coaches and 1 AC 1 coach. These trains will have passenger-friendly features including more comfortable berths with better cushioning than Rajdhani Express trains, sensor-based lighting in common areas, jerk-free travel with improved couplers, and improved night lighting on the floor for easy movement in corridor areas.
