New Delhi: The first prototype of the Vande Bharat Sleeper train set will undergo field trials very soon. The timeline of the rollout of the train is subject to successful completion of the trials, Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the Rajya Sabha.
Vaishnaw said that presently Vande Bharat Sleeper Trains planned for long and medium-distance journeys are equipped with modern features and passenger amenities.
"Some of the distinguished features and amenities include that the trains are fitted with Kavach, crashworthy and Jerk-Free semi-permanent couplers and anti-climbers, crashworthy design of car body complying with EN standards, regenerative braking system for energy efficiency, the higher average speed with quick deceleration and acceleration, emergency talk-back unit for communication between passenger and train manager/Loco Pilot in case of emergency, accommodation and accessible toilets for passengers with restricted mobility (PRM) in the driving coaches on each end, centrally controlled automatic plug doors and fully sealed wider gangways, ergonomically designed ladder for ease of climbing on to upper berths, centralised coach monitoring system for better condition monitoring of passenger amenities such as air conditioning, Saloon Lighting, and CCTV surveillance cameras in all coaches," Vaishnav said.
Informing about medium-distance Vande Bharat train services, Vaishnaw said that as on December 2, 136 Vande Bharat train services with Chair Car Coaches are running across the rail network.
"Of these, 16 Vande Bharat Express services are catering to the needs of stations located in the States of Tamil Nadu. The longest distance Vande Bharat train services are running between Delhi and Varanasi, covering a distance of 771 km," the Union Minister said.
Union Minister further added that the introduction of new train services, including Vande Bharat services and its variants, is an ongoing process on Indian Railways subject to traffic justification, operational feasibility, and resource availability.
