New Delhi: India’s beloved Vande Bharat Express, often celebrated as the nation’s premier train, is gearing up to unveil a sleeper coach variant by the following year. News agency PTI reports that the novel design for these sleeper coaches is a collaborative effort between the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) and Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML).
Here are five key points about the impending Vande Bharat sleeper coach:
1. Extended Overnight Journeys: The Vande Bharat sleeper trains represent a noteworthy expansion to the Indian Railways portfolio. They are primed to facilitate long-distance travel on high-speed trains while ensuring passengers can rest comfortably overnight.
2. A New Travel Experience: These homegrown semi-high-speed trains are designed to redefine the passenger experience, promising a blend of speed and comfort.
3. Enhanced Comfort: Reports suggest that these trains will boast wider berths and brighter interiors compared to the conventional sleeper coaches found in other trains. Moreover, spacious and well-equipped toilets are expected to be a part of the package.
4. Focus on Speed, Safety, and Service: The Railways’ focus with this new sleeper version revolves around three key areas: speed, safety, and service, signaling an all-around enhancement.
5. Vande Metro: In parallel, the ICF is in the process of developing a new breed of Vande Bharat train known as the ‘Vande Metro.’ This 12-coach train is specially designed for short-distance travel, broadening the scope of Vande Bharat’s reach.
In a bid to further elevate passenger experience, the Railways has initiated a ’14-minute clean-up’ concept for Vande Bharat trains, effective from October 1. This endeavor is inspired by Japan’s bullet train model, where the entire cleaning process takes just seven minutes. Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has announced that each Vande Bharat train will now be impeccably cleaned within a mere 14 minutes, significantly reducing the previous three-hour cleaning time.
As the Vande Bharat family expands, nine semi-high-speed Vande Bharat Express trains are also poised to make their debut on various routes in the near future. The ICF is actively engaged in the development of these trains. Preliminary routes have been identified for five out of the nine Vande Bharat trains. They encompass the following connections: Indore – Jaipur Vande Bharat Express, Jaipur-Udaipur Vande Bharat Express, Puri – Rourkela Vande Bharat Express, Patna-Howrah Vande Bharat Express, and Jaipur-Chandigarh Vande Bharat Express. The remaining routes, entrusted to the Southern Railways, are yet to be finalized.