Experience luxury on wheels: Vande Bharat sleeper redefines rail travel!
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu) : For the past 11 years, Indian Railways has been continuously striving to make passenger travel easier, safer, and faster. During this time, Indian Railways has added many new chapters to its journey.
Over the past few years, the Railways has made strides in improving the speed of trains, infrastructure, and the development of coaches and engines to make railway travel enjoyable, convenient, and time-efficient for passengers. In this journey of development, the Railways has introduced several high-speed and semi-high-speed trains, including Humsafar, Vande Bharat, and Amrit Bharat trains, which have either been introduced or are being introduced in different parts of the country over time.
Now, for the convenience of passengers, the Railways has decided to operate new sleeper Vande Bharat and Amrit Bharat trains on several routes. Until now, Vande Bharat trains were designed only for seated travel. However, keeping long-distance passengers in mind and to make their journey pleasant and convenient, the Railways has decided to operate sleeper Vande Bharat and Amrit Bharat trains. Due to the operation and speed of this sleeper Vande Bharat train, passengers will save more than 3 hours on long-distance journeys and their journey will also be more comfortable and luxurious than before.
The country's first Vande Bharat Sleeper train will be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 17th, and regular service will commence from Howrah to Kamakhya on January 18th. The train will include sleeper coaches, AC1, AC2, and AC3 coaches. The train's interior has been designed with inspiration from Indian culture, and for passenger safety, it incorporates the "Kavach" automatic train protection system, an emergency talk-back unit, and disinfectant technology for improved sanitation. This means that the driver's cabin will also be equipped with advanced control and safety systems for passenger safety. The train's exterior will also be aerodynamic, meaning it will move through the air. Its exterior doors will also open and close automatically.
Due to the use of disinfectant technology for improved sanitation, a fellow passenger on the Vande Bharat Sleeper will have no need to worry if they have a cold or flu, as the new technology will eliminate the virus. According to information released by the Railway Ministry, UVC technology has been used in the coaches, which will disinfect viruses in the air. This means that the device will draw in air, freshen it, and release it back into the coach. Regarding the speed of this luxury Vande Bharat Sleeper train, its maximum speed will be 180 km/h, while in regular service it will run at a speed of 130 km/h.
Passengers on this sleeper train will enjoy a number of premium amenities. High-quality blanket covers and advanced bedrolls will be provided throughout the journey. Catering services will also be provided on this train. Passengers traveling on this train will also receive a 1-liter Rail Neer bottle and a newspaper from IRCTC, for which no additional charge will be levied.
The most significant feature of this train will be that passengers will enjoy a comfortable journey, as there will be no hassle of RSC (Rask Reserve Accounts) or waiting lists. Furthermore, there will be no provision for partially confirmed tickets. This means that only fully confirmed tickets will be available, allowing passengers to travel on this train. This means that if their tickets are confirmed, passengers will be freed from the hassle of waiting for the chart to be prepared.
This train features comfortable berths with improved cushioning and noise reduction technology for passengers' comfortable travel. This means it will offer ergonomic berths. Furthermore, all onboard staff will be deployed in prescribed uniforms for passengers on this journey. According to specific information available about this train, there will be no VIP quota option during its service. This means that VIP or emergency quotas will not be permitted on this train. Even senior railway officials will not be able to travel on this train using passes. This means there will be only four quotas: women's quota, disabled quota, senior citizen quota, and duty pass quota. No other quota will be valid.
Passenger journeys on this train will not only be fast and comfortable, but also full of flavor. Indian Railways will now serve food on Vande Bharat trains that reflects the region's origin. The fare for the Vande Bharat Sleeper will be slightly higher than premium trains like the Rajdhani Express. According to reports, the minimum fare has been set based on a distance of 400 km.
For the first time, loco pilots will receive special facilities on this train. A toilet has been built into the power car (engine) of a semi-high-speed train, Vande Bharat. Indian Railways has already begun installing toilets in mail and express engines for the convenience of loco pilots. Since Vande Bharat is a semi-high-speed train, it does not have a separate engine, but a power car. Therefore, the loco pilot will be provided with toilet facilities in this power car. While the Vande Bharat chair cars already running on the tracks had 8, 16, and even 20 coaches, the sleeper Vande Bharat will have 16 coaches: 11 third AC coaches, 4 second AC coaches, and one first AC coach.
While all of this information cannot be confirmed until the Vande Bharat Sleeper train begins operating on the tracks, trial runs of the train, as well as various information available from the railways so far, confirm these features.