Vande Bharat sleeper trains, long awaited as the next phase of India’s semi-high-speed rail network, are likely to debut only after the second rake rolls out by mid-October, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Tuesday.
One of the sleeper trains has already completed trials at Shakur Basti depot in Delhi, but the minister explained that a second rake was essential before services could begin. “Both the trains will be launched together,” he told reporters, underlining that the continuity of operations required more than one train in readiness.
According to officials, the second rake is under manufacture and expected to be ready by October 15. While speculation suggests the initial service could be flagged off between New Delhi and Patna, coinciding with the Bihar elections later this year, Vaishnaw avoided confirming any route. “Once we get it, we will decide any route and start operations,” he said.
The minister, joined by Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu, also detailed several upcoming projects in Punjab, including the 18-kilometre Rajpura-Mohali line which will cut travel distances by 66 kilometres and offer the shortest link to Chandigarh from the Ambala-Amritsar main line. The line is expected to ease congestion on the Rajpura-Ambala route and shorten journeys on the Ambala-Morinda link.
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The Railway Ministry has also moved a proposal for a new Vande Bharat service between Delhi and Firozpur Cantonment. “I will request the Prime Minister to approve the Firozpur–Delhi Vande Bharat train,” Vaishnaw said, noting that the train would travel 486 kilometres in 6 hours and 40 minutes, halting at Patiala, Dhuri, Bhatinda (W), Faridkot, Ambala Cantonment, Kurukshetra and Panipat.
Highlighting the government’s investment in railway infrastructure, the ministers listed nine projects commissioned after 2014. These included the Nangal Dam–Daulatpur Chowk line (61 km, ₹672 crore), Chakki Bank–Bharoli doubling (3 km, ₹15 crore), Jakhal–Mansa doubling (45 km, ₹163 crore), JUC–Suchi Pind doubling (4 km, ₹24 crore), Ambala-Chandigarh doubling (45 km, ₹338 crore), Mansa–Bhatinda doubling (49 km, ₹216 crore), Amritsar-Chheharta doubling (7 km, ₹31 crore), Jalandhar-Jammu Tawi doubling (211 km, ₹850 crore) and Rajpura–Bhatinda doubling (173 km, ₹2,459 crore).
Seven projects remain under way, such as the Nangal Dam-Talwara line (123 km, ₹2,018 crore), Bhanupalli–Bilaspur-Beri line (63 km, ₹6,753 crore), Ferozpur-Patti line (26 km, ₹300 crore) and multiple doubling works across Punjab, including the Mansa–Bhatinda (80 km, ₹449 crore) and Ludhiana-Mullanpur (21 km, ₹295 crore) stretches.
On station upgrades, Vaishnaw said 30 stations in Punjab were being redeveloped under the Amrit Bharat scheme. He also pointed to punctuality improvements, with 29 rail divisions – including Malda, Mysore, Sealdah, Nagpur and Trivandrum – recording 90 per cent on-time performance.
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