Vande Bharat sleeper
NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi will flag off the country’s first Vande Bharat Sleeper train between Guwahati and Howrah later this month, barely months before the assembly polls in Assam and West Bengal. The train, marking a major upgrade in overnight train travel running at 120-130 kmph, will also reduce the travel time between two eastern capitals by more than three hours. Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced the first route of the indigenously built modern train that has a design speed of 180 kmph. PM is likely to visit Assam and West Bengal in the third week of this month. Responding to a question on the reason for choosing the route connecting two poll-bound states, Vaishnaw said the decision is part of PM’s thrust on development in east and northeast India under the “purvodaya” scheme. The minister said that in the next six months eight more such trains catering to 1,200-1,500 km routes will be rolled out and by December this number will reach 12. “From next year onwards, production will be ramped up rapidly as the entire supply chain will be in place by then,” he added. Giving details of the first service, he said it will run six days a week and the one-way fare will be Rs 2,300 for 3AC, Rs 3,000 for 2AC and Rs 3,600 for 1AC travel. He added for the first time, the national transporter has decided to have a fixed rate of fare for each class of travel in these trains – Rs 2.4, Rs 3.1 and Rs 3.8 per km for third, second and first AC, meaning there will be no dynamic pricing. “You will see several reforms in railways in 2026. This is one of them,” Vaishnaw said. While passengers originating from Guwahati will be served Asamese cuisine, those starting from Kolkata will get Bengali food. On the special features of the train, Vaishnaw said the riding comfort can be compared with best trains across the globe and the AC system ensures there is adequate oxygen content in air to ensure passengers face no discomfort. Vaishnaw also gave details of progress made in fencing of tracks, upgradation of around 79% network and upgradation in the Over Head Equipment (OHE), the system of overhead cables, masts, and insulators that supplies high-voltage electricity to power electric trains, enabling trains to run at a higher speed. He added that with the expansion of railway infrastructure, they are hopeful of running more trains and they are hopeful of ending waitlisted tickets in some sectors in the next 2-3 years.
