CHENNAI: The Indian Railways is all set to inaugurate its first Vande Bharat sleeper trains for the public in January with a ambitious target to manufacture eight similar rakes by the end of March.
According to a Maalaimalar report, the move is aimed at extending Vande Bharat trains to overnight journeys which has been a long-awaited demand from the passengers. The coaches are being manufactured at the Integrated Coach Factory (ICF) in Perambur which already produces around 4000 coaches annually.
While the existing 92 Vande Bharat trains across India are chair-car variants restricted to daytime operations, the new sleeper versions will cater to the needs of night travellers.
Official sources revealed that the production of the sleeper variants began last year at the BEML facility in Bangalore and the prototype which has 16 coaches was later moved to the ICF for further testing before being sent to Delhi. "The first Vande Bharat train with two sleeper coaches will definitely be introduced for public use in January," a senior railway official said. The second sleeper train has already been assembled and is currently undergoing trial runs in Ahmedabad.
"Since the demand for these trains with sleeper seats will be high, we will manufacture eight additional Vande Bharat trains by the end of March," the official added.
It may be noted that discussions are also reportedly on to introduce a Vande Bharat service with a single sleeper coach on the Bangalore to Kanyakumari route that will pass through Chennai.