NEW DELHI: Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday said that India’s first Vande Bharat sleeper trains will be on track within two months.
Vaishnaw said, “The completion work of the trainset of the Vande Bharat sleeper train is in full swing and the first train will be on track within two months. All technical works are in the last phase. The trainset is manufactured by BEML Ltd at its rail unit in Bangalore. The much-awaited Vande Bharat Sleeper version will provide easy mobility to commuters and offer various comforts in the near future with global standards.”
The Minister said that the Vande Bharat sleeper train body is made of high-grade austenitic stainless steel and includes crash-worthy elements integrated into the crash buffers and couplers.
“The car body structure is crafted with high-grade Austenitic stainless steel, featuring crashworthy elements integrated into the crash buffers and couplers. Complying with stringent safety standards, all materials and aggregates in the trainset adhere to the Fire standard requirements as per EN45545 HL3 grade,” Vaishnaw said.
Vaishnaw further added that the Vande Bharat Sleeper Trains designed by BEML prioritize both aesthetic appeal and functionality in their design.
“The Vande Bharat Sleeper Trains designed by BEML prioritize both aesthetic appeal and functionality in their interiors, sleeper berths, and exteriors. From the front nose cone to interior panels, seats and berths, interior lights, couplers, gangways and beyond, every element is meticulously designed to meet the exacting standards of the sleeper trainset,” he said.
Notably, India’s first semi-high speeds indigenously built Vande Bharat trains have completely transformed the passenger experience. After the success of this modern train, Indian Railways is now set to launch its indigenous high-speed trains, Vande Sleeper.
Designed for travel at speeds of up to 200 km/h, the Vande Bharat sleeper train is envisioned to provide an alternative to the present Rajdhani Express for premium long-distance travel.
Developed from the existing Vande Bharat trains, these trains will offer sleeper berths for overnight journeys. The train has Best-in-class Interiors with GFRP panels, Automatic Plug Sliding Passenger Doors, a Shower with hot water in 1st AC car, an ergonomically designed toilet system, Special Berths and Toilets for specially-abled.
As per the official, it is planned to have 1 AC First Class, 4 AC Two-Tier, and 11 AC Three-Tier compartments making it a car set of 16 bogies.
Expected to have improved features like better soundproofing, smoother acceleration and deceleration, and user-friendly toilets, Aerodynamic Exterior, Modular Pantry, Public announcement and visual information system. It will also have minimum deceleration during full service. The braking of this trainset is 0.8 m/s2 and the maximum deceleration at any speed is 1 m/s2. The trainsets are Broad Gauged (1676 mm) with a passenger Capacity of 823 berths in various classes.