Field trials of the newly manufactured prototype of the Vande Bharat sleeper trains will soon commence, according to the Union Minister for Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw.
The Railways minister said in a statement at the Parliament winter session that the Vande Bharat sleeper trains are planned for long and medium journeys.
The current Vande Bharat trains that offer pushback seats in the CC (Economy Chair Car) and EC (Executive Chair Car) ticket variants, run a total of 136 services across the country. Among them, 16 Vande Bharat services cater to Tamil Nadu alone.
The longest Vande Bharat train route is currently 771km, running between Delhi and Banaras, according to the Railways minister.
The new sleeper variants of the Vande Bharat Express will feature many technological measures for comfort and safety.
Vande Bharat sleeper coaches: From KAVACH to centralised coach monitoring
The Vande Bharat Sleeper Express will have the KAVACH protection, like most modern trains in the country. KAVACH, formerly known as Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), is the Indian Railways' automatic train protection (ATP) system that borrows key features from the European Train Control System (ETCS). However, India's KAVACH is much more cost-effective than the European counterpart, given its local deployment abilities due to the vast network of the Indian Railways. The ETCS, on the other hand, requires a centralised trackside infrastructure.
The new trains are also fire and safety-compliant, conforming to EN-45545 HL3 fire safety standards.
The trainsets also feature jerk-free semi-permanent couplers and anti-climbers, along with a crash-worthy car-body design that is in line with EN standards.
The Vande Bharat Sleeper Express is armed with a regenerative braking system that is also energy efficient.
And like its chair car counterpart, the sleeper express coaches have significantly higher average speeds with quicker deceleration and acceleration when compared to the Superfast and Shatabdi services plying the same routes.
For passengers, there is also an emergency talk-balk unit connecting them to the loco pilots in case of emergencies, much like the local metro trains.
All coaches get CCTV surveillance for the safety and security of passengers.
Passengers with restricted mobility (PRM) will be provided special accommodation and accessible toilets in the driving coaches on both ends of the train.
Centrally-controlled automated doors and wider gangways (corridor walkways connecting the coaches) are also standout features of the Vande Bharat sleeper coaches.
Apart from ergonomically designed ladders to access upper berths, the Vande Bharat Sleeper Express will also feature a centralised coach monitoring system for amenities such as coach lighting, power, and air conditioning.
While prototype trials are still underway, the rollout of trains will depend on their successful completion, said Vaishnaw in the statement laid on the table of the Rajya Sabha on Friday.
