'136 Vande Bharat trains operational, 2.14 crore passengers...': Ashwini Vaishnaw informs Rajya Sabha

As many as 136 Vande Bharat train services with chair cars are operational in the country as of January 2025, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed Rajya Sabha in a written reply Friday. The overall occupancy in these trains is almost 100 per cent, he added. 

According to the minister, the overall occupancy of Vande Bharat trains rose from 95 per cent in 2023-24 to 100 per cent in the ongoing financial year as of December, 2024. 

During the same period, around 2.14 crore passengers availed Vande Bharat trains.

Meanwhile, the Research Designs & Standards Organisation (RDSO) successfully completed trials of the first 16-car Vande Bharat Sleeper train set on January 15, 2025 for a 540 km distance on the Mumbai- Ahmedabad section. The manufacturing of the train was completed by the ICF on December 17 last year and it was also brought to the Kota Division to test it for the short-distance runs of 30-40 km at a high speed of 180 km per hour.

The 16-coach train is divided into three classes — AC 1st Class, AC 2-Tier, and AC 3-Tier. It has a total capacity of 1,128 passengers and is equipped with crash buffers, deformation tubes, and a fire-barrier wall.

The train has crash buffers, deformation tubes, and a fire barrier wall, automatic doors, cushioned berths, and onboard Wi-Fi besides ultra comfortable berths and an aircraft-like design.

Further, according to reports, the Railways ministry has given an order to manufacture nine more sleeper versions of Vande Bharat Express trains by the end of December 2025. Officials said these 16-car trains will be produced by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), the Indian Railways’ manufacturing unit in Chennai.