India To Manufacture 260 Vande Bharat Sleeper Trainsets In Phased Rollout: Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw

Mumbai, Feb 07: A total of 260 rakes of Vande Bharat Sleeper trainsets have been planned for manufacture. The process of development of new rolling stock such as Vande Bharat Sleeper necessitates a holistic approach, combining technological innovation, strategic planning and manufacturing to ensure safe, reliable and comfortable travel. This involves development of prototypes, extensive testing and trials, followed by series production.

Minister’s written reply in Lok Sabha

This information was provided by the Union Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting and Electronics & Information Technology, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha recently.

Phased manufacturing programme

The Vande Bharat Sleeper train manufacturing programme is being executed in a phased manner through prototype development, trials and series production by BEML and the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai, along with technology partners.

Phased induction into passenger service

Induction of these trainsets into regular passenger service will be undertaken in a phased manner based on demand and operational readiness.

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Advanced safety features and passenger amenities

To improve the travel experience of passengers and set new benchmarks in terms of safe and comfortable journeys, these trainsets have been provided with modern coaches featuring advanced safety systems and passenger amenities, including:

• Jerk-free semi-permanent couplers and anti-climbers
• Fitted with KAVACH
• Higher acceleration with design/operating speed of 180/160 kmph
• Crashworthy design of car body complying with EN standards
• Fire barrier doors at the end of each coach for compliance with fire safety standards
• Improved fire safety with aerosol-based fire detection and suppression systems in electrical cabinets and lavatories
• Regenerative braking system for energy efficiency
• Air-conditioning units equipped with indigenously developed UV-C lamp-based disinfection systems to deactivate 99% of harmful bacteria from conditioned air, improving hygiene standards inside the passenger area
• Centrally controlled automatic plug doors and fully sealed wider gangways
• CCTV cameras in all coaches
• Emergency talk-back units for communication between passengers and the Train Manager or Loco Pilot in case of emergency
• Special lavatories for Divyangjan passengers in the driving coaches at each end
• Centralised Coach Monitoring System for improved condition monitoring of passenger amenities such as air-conditioning and saloon lighting
• Ergonomically designed ladders for ease of climbing onto upper berths