When will railways launch Vande Bharat Sleeper trains? Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw says...

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated on Tuesday that the Vande Bharat Sleeper trains will commence operations once the second train is prepared for regular service.

A train is ready for launch at Shakur Basti Coaching Depot in Delhi after completing essential trials testing, PTI reported citing officials.

Vaishnaw mentioned that the second train is currently in production and might be completed by October 15, 2025.

"Both the trains will be launched together," he said while briefing the media.

The minister highlighted that the second train is crucial for maintaining the continuity of regular services.

"That's why we are waiting for a second rake. Once we get it, we will decide on any route and start operations," Vaishnaw said.

There is widespread speculation that the trains will be introduced between New Delhi and Patna, as Bihar prepares for elections later this year.

Railway projects in Punjab

The minister's statement comes as Vaishnaw, together with Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu, provided an update to the media on the current and future railway projects in Punjab.

They informed that the upcoming 18-kilometre Rajpura-Mohali line will link the area to Chandigarh through the shortest route along the Ambala-Amritsar main line.

The rail link will establish direct connectivity between Rajpura and Mohali and aims to reduce travel distance by approximately 66 kilometres. It is also expected to ease traffic on the existing Rajpura-Ambala route and shorten the Ambala-Morinda link.

Vaishnaw mentioned that the Railway Ministry plans to introduce a new Vande Bharat train connecting New Delhi and Firozpur Cantonment. The route will include stations such as Faridkot, Bhatinda (W), Dhuri, Patiala, Ambala Cantonment, Kurukshetra, and Panipat.

The Railways said that the train will travel 486 kilometres from Delhi to Firozpur Cantonment in 6 hours and 40 minutes.

"I will request the Prime Minister to approve the Firozpur-Delhi Vande Bharat train," Vaishnaw said.

The ministers announced nine significant railway projects that have been commissioned since 2014.

List of latest projects

The projects include the new Nangal Dam-Daulat Pur Chowk line, the doubling of the Chakki Bank-Bharoli line, the Jakhal-Mansa line, the JUC-SuchiPind line, the Ambala-Chandigarh line, the Mansa-Bhatinda line, the Amritsar-Chheharta line, the Jalandhar-Jammu Tawi line and the Rajpura-Bathinda line.

Seven railway projects, including Nangal Dam-Talwara new line, Bhanupalli-Bilaspur-Beri new line, Ferozpur-Patti new line, and the doubling of Mansa-Bhatinda line, Ludhiana-Kila Raipur line, Ludhiana-Mullanpur line and Alal-Himmatana line were introduced.

(With inputs from agencies.)