New Delhi, Jan 17: India’s railways, long regarded as the backbone of mass mobility, are undergoing one of their most consequential transformations in decades. At the centre of this shift is the Vande Bharat Express, an indigenously designed, semi-high-speed train platform that is steadily redefining inter-city and long-distance rail travel across the country.
On Saturday, the transformation entered a new phase when Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the country’s first Vande Bharat Sleeper train between Howrah and Guwahati (Kamakhya) from Malda Town station in north Bengal.
He also virtually flagged off the return Guwahati–Howrah Vande Bharat Sleeper service. During the event, the Prime Minister interacted with children and school students onboard the train, underscoring the symbolic and generational significance of the next stage of rail modernisation. According to the Press Information Bureau (PIB), 164 Vande Bharat trains are operational nationwide as of December 2025, connecting 274 districts across major rail corridors and carrying more than 7.5 crore passengers. What began in February 2019 on the New Delhi–Varanasi route has since evolved into a nationwide network symbolising speed, comfort and technological self-reliance.
Unlike conventional locomotive-hauled trains, Vande Bharat is a self-propelled trainset, marking a structural shift in Indian Railways’ approach to passenger services. Earlier premium trains, such as the Rajdhani Express and the Shatabdi Express, redefined overnight and daytime travel in their time. Vande Bharat, however, is designed for contemporary mobility needs, delivering faster acceleration, shorter journey times and a more seamless passenger experience. Several corridors have seen journey-time reductions of up to 45 per cent. The New Delhi–Varanasi route, for instance, now takes about eight hours, making it nearly 40–50 per cent faster than earlier services on the same corridor.
Vande Bharat trains feature centrally controlled automatic plug doors, fully sealed wider gangways, modern air-conditioning systems with UV-C-based disinfection, CCTV cameras, emergency alarm systems, and GPS-based passenger information displays. Passenger comfort is enhanced through improved suspension systems, jerk-free couplers and ergonomically designed seating. A critical safety element is KAVACH, India’s indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection system. The system continuously monitors train movement and automatically applies brakes to prevent collisions, overspeeding and signal-passing at danger.
Manufactured at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) with nearly 90 per cent localisation, Vande Bharat trainsets align with the Make in India initiative. Indigenous design and integration of key systems have helped improve energy efficiency through features such as regenerative braking. In 2024, ICF received the National Energy Conservation Award for Vande Bharat manufacturing, reflecting the emphasis on sustainable rail mobility. High occupancy levels underline strong public acceptance. PIB data shows occupancy at 102.01 per cent in 2024–25, rising to 105.03 per cent in 2025–26 (up to June), indicating a broad-based shift in passenger preference towards faster and cleaner rail travel.
The newly flagged-off Vande Bharat Sleeper marks the platform’s expansion into long-distance overnight travel. The Howrah–Guwahati corridor connects eastern and north-eastern India and serves a diverse mix of students, workers, traders, and families. The sleeper service is expected to reduce travel time from about 17 hours to roughly 14 hours. The 16-coach, fully air-conditioned trainset includes AC First Class, AC Two-Tier and AC Three-Tier coaches, with a total capacity of around 823 passengers. It has undergone extensive high-speed and endurance trials, demonstrating stable operations at speeds of up to 180 kmph.
Beyond the sleeper variant, Indian Railways continues to roll out upgraded versions of the platform. Vande Bharat 2.0 and 3.0 trainsets offer lighter construction, faster acceleration, and improved energy efficiency. Future iterations, including the proposed Vande Bharat 4.0, are expected to raise benchmarks in safety, interior quality, and performance, with provisions for next-generation KAVACH systems. PIB says the long-term vision is to scale the Vande Bharat fleet to around 800 trainsets by 2030 and nearly 4,500 by 2047, aligning rail modernisation with India’s broader development goals. The flag-off of the first Vande Bharat Sleeper is not just the launch of a new train, but a marker of how Indian Railways is rewriting its own history.
