Vande Bharat sleeper to be launched in January! Ashwini Vaishnaw announces route; check details & features of new train
Vande Bharat sleeper train to be launched soon! In a big New year cheer for Indian Railways passengers, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishaw has shared that the first Vande Bharat sleeper train will be launched this month. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to flag off the Vande Bharat sleeper train in the second half of January 2026.Vande Bharat sleeper is a fully air-conditioned train set that has been manufactured by Indian Railways for long-distance routes and overnight journeys. According to Ashwini Vaishnaw, two Vande Bharat sleeper train sets are ready and have undergone successful trial runs. The new trains will be operated on 1,200-1,500 kmph routes of the national transporter.
Vande Bharat Sleeper Train Route Announced
The first Vande Bharat sleeper train will run between Guwahati and Kolkata, Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Thursday. Each Vande Bharat sleeper train has 16 coaches. The composition of the coaches is: 11 AC 3-tier, 4 AC 2-tier, and one AC 1st coach. The train can accommodate 823 passengers.Ashwini Vaishnaw recently shared a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, showcasing the train undergoing high-speed trials on the Indian Railways network.During test runs conducted on the Kota–Nagda route, the Vande Bharat sleeper train achieved its top design speed of 180 kmph. A notable highlight from the trial was a stability demonstration in which glasses filled with water remained perfectly balanced without any water spilling even at over 180 kmph speed.“Vande Bharat Sleeper tested today by Commissioner Railway Safety. It ran at 180 kmph between Kota Nagda section. And our own water test demonstrated the technological features of this new generation train,” Ashwini Vaishnaw wrote in his post on X.
Vande Bharat Sleeper Train Features
Designed for overnight and long-haul journeys, the Vande Bharat sleeper train is the sleeping-class counterpart of the Vande Bharat chair car services already operating across the country. At present, two prototype rakes of the Vande Bharat sleeper train have been produced by BEML. Indian Railways is also gearing up for a broader transformation of long-distance travel, with plans to roll out more than 200 such sleeper trains in the coming years, supported by several ongoing manufacturing initiatives.
