The Vande Bharat Sleeper is all set to become reality very soon as the first train design has been dispatched from the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai.
As per official sources, before the commercial launch, the train will undergo rigorous trials.
“The train set has been dispatched from Chennai (ICF). Now, it will go for test rides for weeks before its commercial launch. Several conditions will be considered for the trials. The trains will undergo a loaded simulation trial as well,” the official said, seeking anonymity.
In a post on social media platform X, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw shared the information along with some images of the new train set.
The train has an orange-grey livery and the seats are in yellow and grey shades.
While the ministry or Vaishnaw did not share any official details of the prototype, the official quoted above said the fully AC train has 16 coaches, including one first-class. There are four two-tier coaches and the remaining 11 are three-tier coaches.
While the seating designs are of a usual AC train, the ministry claims that they will offer better comfort to the passengers. Also, some additional details have been worked upon while finalising the design, for instance, there is a dedicated light for each seat and a bottle holder.
The ladder used for upper berths in trains across the class is more comfortable, the official said. The toilets are also better and spacious, just like those of the Vande Bharat Chair Car.
For any new train set or design to be launched, trial runs and safety checks are important parameters.
Vande Bharat Sleepers are now the most-awaited trains from the Indian Railways. They are the third variant of the Vande Bharat train. The ministry has already launched Vande Metro and Vande Bharat Chair Car train sets. Both these trains are transforming the way people commute.
As of date, 136 Vande Bharat train services having chair cars are currently operational on the Broad Gauge electrified network of Indian Railways and almost all of these have overall occupancy over 100 per cent.
It is expected that the first Vande Bharat Sleeper trains will run between Delhi and Kashmir. Even after several decades of Independence and a massive rail network, the Kashmir region was deprived of train connectivity.
As per the ministry, the USBRL project is, perhaps, the most difficult new railway line project undertaken in the country post-independence.
The project is being undertaken by the Indian Railways for the construction of a broad-gauge railway line through the Himalayas, with the aim of connecting the Kashmir region with the rest of the country.
The all-weather, comfortable, convenient and cost-effective mass transportation system will be the catalyst for the overall development of the northernmost alpine region of the country, the ministry said.
The project length is 272 kilometres of which 200 kilometres have already been commissioned. The work of the remaining part was underway and set for inauguration next year.