The introduction of India’s first indigenous-built semi-high speed train ‘Vande Bharat Express‘ has revolutionised rail travel in the country by providing state-of-the-art amenities and reducing travel time between two cities. Now, the Indian Railways is working tirelessly to roll out another version of this new age train.
Vande Bharat Sleeper version to be launched in FY 2023-24:-
The national transporter has targeted to launch sleeper versions of Vande Bharat Express in the current fiscal year. However, the scheduled date and time of its launch is not yet known. It is expected that the new version of the ultra modern train will be inducted to the existing fleet of the railways by March, 2024.
Production underway at ICF, Chennai:-
Presently, this new version is under production at Chennai-based Integral Coach Factory (ICF). The information was shared by BG Mallya, General Manager, ICF on Friday. Addressing the media, Mallya said, “There is a testing involved which takes time. But the train will be ready for launch by March.”
In July, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the production of “Vande Bharat Sleeper Version is going in a very good phase.”
Composition of Vande Bharat Sleeper Version:-
The Vande Bharat Sleeper Version will have 16 coaches which includes 11 AC 3-Tier coaches, 4 AC Two-Tier coaches and 1 First AC.
Faster than Rajdhani Express:-
The passengers will prove to be beneficial for passengers who wish to travel long distances overnight. The train will run faster and cover the distance between the two cities (origin and destination) in a shorter time than the existing trains such as Rajdhani Express.
Operations of Vande Bharat Express:-
As of now, 50 blue and white colour trains are in service. The first Vande Bharat Express train was flagged off on February 15, 2019 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi between New Delhi and Varanasi. The train is a perfect example of PM Modi’s ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative.