September 8, 2025

The Indian Railways is gearing up to launch its exciting new Vande Bharat Sleeper service, the longer distance version of its sleek semi-high-speed trains. This sleeper train will take off from Delhi, covering a stretch of nearly 1,000 kilometers! Tentative stops include Ahmedabad, Bhopal, and Patna through Varanasi. "The primary focus is to improve availability of trains on high demand routes," said a senior official to ET, teasing that the final decision on routes will be made soon. This means more trains where passengers really need them! These trains will be massive 24-car sleeper sets built on the Vande Bharat platform. Thanks to powerful design, they can zoom at a max speed of 180 km/h and regularly run at 160 km/h. "The service will be launched in the coming weeks," the official added. Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw shared in the Rajya Sabha that Vande Bharat Sleeper trains have been in the pipeline for a while, meant for long and medium-distance trips. He proudly announced the train design is finished, with 10 Vande Bharat Sleeper trains already under production by July. Integral Coach Factory, Chennai, is ramping up production with 50 more sleeper rakes, along with contracts for 200 more being given to technology partners. Currently, Indian Railways operates 150 Vande Bharat trains of the chair car type, mainly for daytime travel. These modern, homegrown trains are faster but don’t have sleeping arrangements. With the launch of the sleeper variant, overnight journeys will get a major comfort boost—imagine sleeping soundly all night on a speedy, stylish train! Vande Bharat trains have been a hit, with occupancy rates soaring to 102.01% in 2024-25 and rising further to 105.03% in the first quarter of the current year. Alongside these special trains, Indian Railways is also set to produce about 17,000 general and non-air-conditioned coaches in the next five years. Vaishnaw highlighted that the number of general class coaches has grown significantly to serve more passengers. India’s railways are clearly speeding into the future, with the Vande Bharat Sleeper train promising a smooth, fast, and comfy ride for travelers on long journeys. Keep your bags ready and eyes on the tracks – a new era of overnight train travel is just around the corner!

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Tags: Vande bharat sleeper, Indian railways, High-speed trains, Delhi, Integral coach factory,