The Integral Coach Factory (ICF) general manager BG Mallya said Saturday that the company will roll out the first Vande Bharat sleeper train in March 2024. “The first train is under production and will be rolled out in March 2024,” said Mallya.
The sleeper train version of the Vande Bharat is expected to be a significant addition to the chain, providing comfort to the passengers to travel long distances overnight.
The ICF is also developing a new type of Vande Bharat train called the Vande Metro. It will be a 12-coach train, designed for short-distance travel. “Vande Metro will be rolled out by January which will have 12 coaches,” Mallya added.
Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh’s Neemuch would be the latest city to get a Vande Bharat Express soon, Union minister Ashiwini Vaishnav had announced earlier.
Part of the ‘Make in India’ campaign, Vande Bharat Express series is India’s first indigenous Semi High Speed trains launched in 2019. The first train was flagged off on February 15, 2019, by Prime Minister Narendra, running between New Delhi and Varanasi. These trains are manufactured at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, Tamail Nadu.
They can run up to to a maximum speed of 160 kmph and have travel classes like Shatabdi train but with better facilities, the government said, endorsing its features on the website.
As per reports, the railways is prepared to launch nine semi-high-speed Vande Bharat Express trains on several routes soon. Five out of these nine routes have reportedly been already assigned.
The five new tentative Vande Bharat routes are:
Indore – Jaipur Vande Bharat Express
Jaipur-Udaipur Vande Bharat Express
Puri – Rourkela Vande Bharat Express
Patna-Howrah Vande Bharat Express
Jaipur-Chandigarh Vande Bharat Express
Currently, there are 25 Vande Bharat Expresses running across India covering 50 routes.
