New Delhi, Oct 13 (PTI): More than four years after issuing the technical specifications for a 24-car Vande Bharat Sleeper train, the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai, will finalise its design by November 10, a senior official said on Tuesday.
“The design is already at a very advanced stage. We are hoping to come out with its final version by November 10, 2026,” the ICF official told PTI.
He added, “Once the design is finalised, we will start manufacturing the prototype. As per the current plan, we are hoping to have the prototype ready by May or June 2027. The prototype will then undergo trials.”
The official said that once the prototype completes all stages of trials, the remaining trains will be made operational without much delay.
On April 4, 2022, ICF Chennai released the technical specifications and standards for Vande Bharat trains, stating that a 24-coach train set would have 19 AC 3-tier coaches with 1,215 berths, four AC 2-tier coaches with 192 berths, and one First AC coach with 24 berths.
In 2023-24, while announcing a plan to manufacture 10 16-coach Vande Bharat Sleeper trains in collaboration with ICF Chennai and BEML, the Ministry provided an update and said, “50 rakes of Vande Bharat Sleeper in 24-Car configuration have been envisaged for manufacturing at ICF Chennai.”
To implement its plan for the 24-car configuration, the Railway Ministry placed an order for propulsion equipment for 50 rakes with two companies, Medha and Alstom, on December 17, 2024.
Medha is expected to supply propulsion systems for 33 rakes, while Alstom will supply them for the remaining 17.
“Looking ahead, full-scale production of the 24-car Vande Bharat Sleeper trainsets will commence in 2026-27, further strengthening India’s self-reliance in railway technology,” a Ministry press note said on February 6, 2025.
Of the 10 16-coach train sets announced by the Ministry, one pair was launched in January between Howrah and Kamakhya. Two other pairs are ready for launch, with the destinations yet to be decided by the Railway Ministry, while the remaining two pairs are at various stages of manufacturing with BEML.
Besides 50 24-coach and 10 16-coach train sets, Kinet Railway Solutions Ltd, an Indo-Russian joint venture formed by Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL) and Russian company Transmashholding (TMH), is set to manufacture 120 16-coach Vande Bharat Sleeper trains at its factory in Marathwada, Maharashtra, by the end of 2027.
Additionally, 80 16-coach Vande Bharat Sleeper train sets will be manufactured by the BHEL-Titagarh consortium. Some of these manufacturers have revised the completion deadlines in the past due to various technical reasons.
