India: The 16-car train, released at the end of 2024 by the ICF plant of the national operator Indian Railways, has completed all the necessary tests.
It will soon enter service on the 540 km route between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. The prototype train was displayed last year at the BEML plant in Bengaluru.
Unlike the standard Vande Bharat, the sleeper was designed for long distances, so it has one first-class, 4 two-tier and 11 three-tier cars to accommodate 1,128 passengers. The maximum speed of a train is 160 km/h. Each train is equipped with the Kavach anti-collision system.
Overview of the Vande Bharat sleeper. Source: RailTrans Expo
ICF plans to build nine such trains by the end of 2025. Major orders for Vande Bharat sleepers have been placed with the TMH-RVNL consortium and the Titagarh Wagons-BHEL consortium.
