Vande Bharat sleeper train will be ‘class apart’ from Rajdhani & inspired from trains globally; details here

Vande Bharat sleeper coach trains will be a “class apart” from Rajdhani Express trains, says Shantanu Roy, the Chairman & Managing Director of BEML. Defence PSU BEML, also known for its rolling stock manufacturing, is making the first Vande Bharat sleeper train in collaboration with ICF, Chennai.
Indian Railways hopes to roll out the first prototype of the Vande Bharat sleeper train by March 2024 and BEML is looking to start the manufacturing process in a few days time. Talking to TOI in an exclusive interview, Shantanu Roy said that Vande Bharat train sets are a huge opportunity for BEML.

Watch the video above to know more about the Vande Bharat sleeper train project and passenger comfort and safety that can be looked forward to. Also catch glimpses of the concept design of the Vande Bharat sleeper train with images of its proposed interior.

Vande Bharat sleeper train details:

Vande Bharat Express is in its present an all air-conditioned chair car service that is aimed at eventually replacing Shatabdi Express trains. The semi-high speed 160 kmph self-propelled train is seen as the face of next generation world class travel on Indian Railways.
Vande Bharat sleeper coach train will be a superior version of the premium Rajdhani Express train, given the demand for faster and more comfortable long-distance overnight travel.
According to Shantanu Roy, what singles out the Vande Bharat and makes it a class apart from the Rajdhani is that it is aerodynamically designed with a nose cone while the latter is locomotive driven. “The interior also will be at a different level than the Rajdhani. It is designed on very superior trains that run in the foreign countries,” he told TOI.
The Vande Bharat sleeper train will have 16 coaches; 11 AC 3-tier (611 berths), 4 AC 2-tier (188 berths) and 1 First AC with 24 berths taking the total capacity of the train to 823 berths.
In terms of future opportunities in the Vande Bharat project space, Roy says BEML sees huge potential. “Railway has announced that they want to have 800 train sets by 2030. It basically means a huge opportunity for BEML, more than Rs 1.5 lakh crore to be precise. And even if we have a 50% success rate, it means an opportunity size of at least Rs 75,000 crores for BEML in the coming 5-7 years,” he says.