Parliament Question: Testing of Vande Bharat Sleeper prototype

O.I.H GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3923 ANSWERED ON 27.03.2026 TESTING OF VANDE BHARAT SLEEPER PROTOTYPE 3923# DR. DINESH SHARMA: SHRI KESRIDEVSINH JHALA: DR. ANIL SUKHDEORAO BONDE: SMT. KIRAN CHOUDHRY: SHRI ADITYA PRASAD: SHRI DEEPAK PRAKASH: SHRI SHAMBHU SHARAN PATEL: DR. KAVITA PATIDAR: SHRI AMAR PAL MAURYA: SHRI BABURAM NISHAD: SMT. SEEMA DWIVEDI: DR. PARMAR JASHVANTSINH SALAMSINH: SHRI NARHARI AMIN: SHRI ASHOKRAO SHANKARRAO CHAVAN: SHRI NARAYANA KORAGAPPA: SHRI LAHAR SINGH SIROYA: Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state: (a) the manner in which the inclusion of ‘ergonomic berths’ and advanced noise-reduction technology has improved the overnight travel experience of passengers; (b) the specific progress made towards the target of launching 30 new sleeper rakes by December 2026; (c) whether the Ministry has successfully completed the testing of the 24-coach Vande Bharat Sleeper prototype at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai; (d) if so, the details thereof; and (e) the extent of reduction in travel time on the Howrah–Guwahati corridor as compared to conventional superfast express trains? ANSWER MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW) (a) to (e) Modernization and Improvement/up-gradation of Rolling Stock to enhance safety, convenience and comfort of passengers is a continuous and ongoing process on Indian Railways (IR). This includes ergonomic design of seats and provision of noise reduction technologies like sound insulation paints, use of improved suspension etc. For long distance travel, the Sleeper variant of Vande Bharat Express has been indigenously designed and developed. Page 1 of 2 §The process of development of new rolling stocks like Vande Sleeper necessitates a holistic approach, combining technological innovation, strategic planning and manufacturing to ensure a safe, reliable and comfortable travel. This involves development of prototype, extensive testing and trials followed by series production. These train-sets have been provided with modern coaches having advanced safety features and passenger amenities like:  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 of fire safety standards.  Aerosol based fire detection and suppression system in electrical cabinets and lavatories.  Regenerative braking system for energy efficiency.  Air conditioning units provided with indigenously developed UV-C lamp-based disinfection system for deactivating 99% harmful bacteria from conditioned air to improve the hygiene standards inside the passenger area.  Centrally controlled Automatic Plug Doors and Fully Sealed wider gangways.  CCTVs in all coaches.  Emergency talk-back unit for communication between Passenger and Train Manager/Loco Pilot in case of emergency.  For Divyangjan passengers, special lavatory in the driving coaches on each end.  Centralized Coach Monitoring System for better condition monitoring of passenger amenities such as Air conditioning, Saloon Lighting etc.  Ergonomically designed ladder for ease of climbing on to upper berths. Presently, the following 01 pair of Vande Bharat train services (Sleeper Car) are being operated on the Indian Railways network: SN Train No. and Name 1 27575/27576 Howrah - Kamakhya Vande Bharat Sleeper Express The travel time of 27575/27576 Howrah-Kamakhya Vande Bharat Sleeper Express is 14 hrs in each direction. This is more than 2 hours lesser than the fastest train on the sector in both directions. ***** Page 2 of 2 §