New Delhi: Vande Bharat celebrates another year today, February 15. More than 130 Vande Bharat train services run in different parts of the country. Indian Railways continuously introduces new train services based on demand, operational needs, and available resources, including Vande Bharat and its variants.
While there are new variants of the Vande Bharat Express train, one such variant is the Vande Bharat Sleeper train. Vande Bharat Sleeper trains will be launched soon after the trials are over. In this article, let us look at their features.
About Vande Bharat Express Trains
Before we move on to Vande Bharat Sleeper trains, let’s take a brief look at Vande Bharat Express Trains.
Vande Bharat Express is a semi-high-speed train that travels medium to long distances. It is a fast express service with reserved, air-conditioned seats. This train connects cities within 800 km (500 miles) or takes less than ten hours to reach. There are plans for a reserved, air-conditioned sleeper service for cities 800 km (500 miles) to 1,200 km (750 miles) apart. The service began on February 15, 2019, as part of the ‘Make in India’ initiative.
The chair car trainsets are self-propelling Electric Multiple Units (EMUs) with eight, sixteen, or twenty coaches. The Integral Coach Factory in Chennai designed and built these trainsets. Introduced in 2018, they reached speeds of 183 km/h (114 mph) during tests and achieved a target speed of 180 km/h (110 mph). The maximum operational speed is 160 km/h (99 mph), reached by the Rani Kamalapati (Habibganj)–Hazrat Nizamuddin Vande Bharat Express and Hazrat Nizamuddin-Khajuraho Vande Bharat Express on the Tughlakabad–Agra section.
A key feature of Vande Bharat Express is its quick acceleration and deceleration. During tests, it went from 0 to 100 km/h in 52 seconds, faster than some high-speed trains. The sleeper trainsets have sixteen coaches.
Vande Bharat Sleeper Trains
Vande Bharat Sleeper Trains, designed for long and medium distances, will have modern features and amenities. Some of their key features are:
- Fitted with KAVACH.
- Compliant with HL3 fire safety standards.
- Crashworthy and jerk-free semi-permanent couplers and anti-climbers.
- Crashworthy design of car body meets EN standards.
- Regenerative braking system for energy efficiency.
- Higher average speed with quick acceleration and deceleration.
- An emergency talk-back unit communicates between passengers and the train manager/Loco pilot in emergencies.
- Accessible toilets for passengers with restricted mobility (PRM) in the driving coaches at each end.
- Centrally controlled automatic plug doors and fully sealed wider gangways.
- Ergonomically designed ladders for easier access to upper berths.
- A centralised coach monitoring system is needed to track passenger amenities like air conditioning and lighting better.
- CCTV surveillance cameras in all coaches.
Vande Bharat Express, India’s first semi-high-speed train, completes another year today, February 15. Indian Railways is now preparing to launch the much-awaited Vande Bharat Sleeper Trains. The new trains are expected to redefine long-distance rail travel in India. Here’s everything you need to know about their features and launch timeline. Biz News Business News – Personal Finance News, Share Market News, BSE/NSE News, Stock Exchange News Today
