Indian Railways to launch first Vande Bharat sleeper train and Vande Metro; All you need to know

Indian Railways will be rolling out the first version of Vande Bharat sleeper trains soon. According to details revealed by BG Mallya, the General Manager of Integral Coach Factory (ICF), "Sleeper coach of Vande Bharat will be rolled out in the current financial year where the first train is under production and will be rolled out in March 2024".

The Vande Bharat sleeper trains will be a significant addition to the Indian Railways fleet, as they will allow passengers to travel long distances on these high-speed trains overnight.

Further, Mallya said the ICF is also developing Vande Metro. The Vande Metro will be a 12-coach train that will be used for short-distance travel. The train is expected to be rolled out by January 2024.

Also read: Vande Bharat Express Trains: Railways expected to launch 9 semi-high speed trains on THESE routes

"We'll be launching the sleeper version of the Vande within this financial year. We'll also be launching the Vande Metro this financial year. And we'll be launching this train for non-air conditioned passengers, which is called a non-AC push-pull train, which will have 22 coaches and a locomotive. And that launch is going to happen before 31st October...," Mallya said.

Vande Bharat Express, India's semi-high-speed train, offers its services in all rail-electrified states across the country. With 50 operational services, the Vande Bharat Express has revolutionized rail travel, providing state-of-the-art amenities and reducing travel time for passengers.

The first Vande Bharat Express was flagged off on February 15, 2019, by the Prime Minister, running between New Delhi and Varanasi. These trains are manufactured at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai.

The project to manufacture indigenous semi-high-speed train sets began in mid-2017, and within 18 months, the ICF Chennai completed Train-18. India's first semi-high-speed train was renamed Vande Bharat Express in January 2019 to emphasize its made-in-India status. The train achieved a maximum speed of 180 kmph on the Kota-Sawai Madhopur section.