New Delhi: Here’s another piece of good news for the train commuters in the country. The Indian Railways is planning to launch new Vande Bharat sleeper trains on several routes with the objective to enhance the rail connectivity. The Railways has already awarded for manufacturing of 200 rakes and 10 Vande Bharat Sleeper trains to technology partners.
In this regard, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in the Lok Sabha that currently 10 Vande Bharat Sleeper trains are under production for long and medium-distance journeys in the country. He went on to add that the first prototype has been manufactured and will undergo field trials. Apart from this, he said manufacturing of 200 Vande Bharat Sleeper Rakes have also been awarded to Technology partners.
Vande Bharat sleeper prototype ready for field trials
The Union railway minister had earlier this month informed that the first Vande Bharat sleeper prototype was manufactured and ready for field trials. He again stated that as of December 2 this year, over 136 Vande Bharat trains with chair cars (both CC and EC) are in operation in the country.
According to Ashwini Vaishnaw, the overall occupancy of Vande Bharat express trains throughout October was more than 100 per cent. Vaishnaw further added that all Indian Railways production units have been putting out only Linke-Hofmann-Busch (LHB) coaches since April 2018.
Amrit Bharat, Namo Bharat trains getting ready
Vaishnaw earlier had also mentioned that two new services are also getting ready along the lines of the Vande Bharat—Amrit Bharat and Namo Bharat train series.
He said the Amrit Bharat trains will be based on technology similar to Vande Bharat but will be designed for non-AC travel only. He said after this, the Indian Railways plans to produce 50 new Amrith Bharat trains following successful initial fleet operations in the last ten months, according to the minister.
With the new Vande Bharat Sleeper trains, the Indian Railways is getting into the future of rail travel which is a new generation of high-speed trains designed for long and medium-distance travel.
When field trials will start for Vande Bharat Sleeper Trains
The minister informed that the inaugural train has recently been sent from the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) for loaded trial runs and the field trials are scheduled to take place in Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh, under the supervision of the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO).
On why the field trial is needed, he said the main objective will be to assess the critical factors such as the train’s stability, vibration levels, and overall dynamic performance before starting the operation of these trains.