Vande Bharat Sleeper Trains Coming Soon, Chennai ICF And BEML Share Production

The Indian Railways has decided to expand the Vande Bharat Express fleet by introducing sleeper coach variants. Initially, 9 Vande Bharat Sleeper Express trains will be produced, with plans to increase the number to 50 in the subsequent phase. For this purpose, manufacturing responsibilities have been assigned to Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) in Bengaluru.

The Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, which has historically manufactured and supplied railway coaches for domestic and international use, played a crucial role in producing the current fleet of Vande Bharat trains. These semi-high-speed trains were introduced to modernize the country's railway infrastructure, with over 130 trains already operating across 69 different routes.

Chennai ICF also developed and produced the Amrit Bharat and Namo Bharat trains, considered successors to the Vande Bharat model. Although these are currently operational on limited routes, discussions are underway to expand their deployment.

As the Vande Bharat trains in service today only offer seating arrangements, Indian Railways aims to upgrade the experience by introducing sleeper versions. A prototype of the Vande Bharat Sleeper Express was built at the Chennai ICF and has undergone successful testing.

With the prototype proving viable, the Railway Board is moving forward with the launch of the first sleeper route. Since most major routes already have Vande Bharat seating trains, the focus now shifts to sleeper versions. Railway officials confirmed that BEML in Bengaluru will produce the first 9 sleeper trains, while Chennai ICF remains engaged in the manufacturing of express trains, MEMU, DEMU, and freight rakes-including those based on the Vande Bharat design.

Once ICF finishes its ongoing commitments, it is expected to take on the production of 50 additional Vande Bharat Sleeper Express trains in the second phase.

There is growing anticipation about the routes on which these sleeper variants will be introduced. In Tamil Nadu, the demand is particularly high for long-distance connections. Potential routes include Chennai-Kanyakumari, Chennai-Delhi, Chennai-Mumbai, Chennai-Hyderabad, and Chennai-Thiruvananthapuram.

However, the final decision on deployment will rest with the Railway Board, and an official announcement is awaited from New Delhi.