RVNL-led joint venture to launch Vande Bharat Sleeper prototype within a year

The prototype of the Vande Bharat Sleeper train, to be manufactured by the Rail Vikas Nigam Limited-led joint venture, will be launched for testing within a year, Railway Board Chairman and CEO Satish Kumar said on Friday.

Addressing officials at the 21st annual day celebration of Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), a Navratna public sector undertaking under the Railway Ministry, Kumar said that the Vande Bharat Sleeper is one of the company’s key projects. He expressed hope that the prototype will be launched for testing within a year.

“After that, they have to supply 120 trains,” Kumar said, lauding several landmark projects completed by the company in the recent past. One of them is the new Pamban Bridge, which is the country’s first vertical-lift sea bridge.

Though Kumar did not specify a particular month, Saleem Ahmad, Chairman and Managing Director of RVNL, had recently said that the prototype would be unveiled in June 2026.

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Officials stated that although the work is in full swing, it is unlikely that the prototype will be ready for testing by June 2026 and may be delayed to next year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the country’s first pair of Vande Bharat Sleeper trains on January 17, between Kamakhya and Howrah.

There are several speculations regarding the launch of the other pairs of Vande Bharat Sleeper trains; however, the Railways ministry hasn’t made a specific announcement in this regard.

Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw said in a written statement in the Lok Sabha on February 4 that the manufacturing programme of Vande Bharat Sleeper coaches is being executed in a phased manner through prototype development, trials and series production by BEML & Integral Coach Factory, Chennai, and technology partners.

“Induction of these trainsets into regular passenger service will be undertaken in a phased manner based on demand and operational readiness. A total of 260 rakes of Vande Bharat Sleeper trainsets have been planned for manufacture,” Vaishnaw said.

Out of these 260 trainsets, 120 will be manufactured by Kinet Railway Solutions, a joint venture between RVNL and Russian rolling stock firm Transmashholding (TMH); 80 trainsets by the BHEL-Titagarh consortium, and 50 by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai.

The remaining trainsets are under production with BEML Limited, with technological assistance from ICF, Chennai.

Kinet, in a recent social media post, unveiled the mock-up of the Vande Bharat Sleeper First AC compartment design concept at Marathwada Rail Coach Factory (MRCF) in Latur, Maharashtra, one of the manufacturing units established by the Indian Railway.

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