Indian Railways is all set to launch the Vande Bharat Sleeper train after its successful testing and certification. The first Vande Bharat Sleeper Express will run between Guwahati and Kolkata, and the train will be flagged off by PM Modi soon, Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Thursday.
The announcement regarding the completion of the final high-speed trial of the train was made by the Indian Railway on 31st December. The trial of the indigenously designed and manufactured train was conducted on the Kota-Nagda section, during which the train achieved the highest speed of 180 kmph.
Railway Minister Vaishnaw said that PM Modi will flag off the first train on the Guwahati–Kolkata route. “The complete testing and certification of the Vande Bharat sleeper train has been completed. Its first route is proposed to be Guwahati–Kolkata. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the first Vande Bharat sleeper train on this route in the coming days. This achievement is a major milestone…The Vande Bharat sleeper train will provide passengers with world-class facilities, safety, and a modern travel experience on long-distance overnight journeys…” said Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday (January 1, 2026).
#WATCH | Delhi: Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw says, "The complete testing and certification of the Vande Bharat sleeper train has been completed. Its first route is proposed to be Guwahati–Kolkata. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the first Vande Bharat sleeper… pic.twitter.com/p2tKGBDRD8
— ANI (@ANI) January 1, 2026
“For a long time, there has been a demand for new generation trains. The Vande Bharat chair car started a new era in Indian Railways. People started liking it a lot. Demands are being received from all corners of the country for running Vande Bharat trains,” Vaishnaw said. “The Vande Bharat Sleeper train has been designed keeping long-distance travel of over a thousand kilometres in mind. This train will provide a fast, comfortable, and modern travel experience to long-distance passengers. The Vande Bharat Sleeper is equipped with advanced safety features, an improved suspension system, and world-class sleeper coaches to make overnight journeys more convenient,” he added.
As per the Railways, the first Vande Bharat Sleeper will run between Kamakhya station in Guwahati and Howrah near Kolkata. As per the tentative timetable published by Northeast Frontier Railway, the train will depart Kamakhya at 7 PM and reach Howrah at 9.30 AM the next morning, completing the journey of 966 km in 14.30 hours. From Howrah, the train will start at 6 PM and arrive at Kamakhya at 8.30 AM. The train will run at an average speed of 66.62 kmph, accounting for stoppages at stations.
The Minister said that the 3AC fare for the Guwahati-Kolkata route has been set at approximately ₹2300, while the fare for 2AC will be around ₹3000. “Keeping the middle class in mind, the First AC fare has been proposed at approximately ₹3,600,” Vaishnav said. He noted that the fares are quite cheaper compared to Guwahati-Kolkata air fares that range between ₹6,000 and ₹10,000.
The train has 16 coaches comprising 11 AC 3-tier coaches, four AC 2-tier coaches, and one AC first-class coach and can carry 823 passengers. It is fully air-conditioned and is designed for overnight journeys and longer routes. The train offers a faster and more modern alternative to existing mail and express trains. It is built for 1,200–1,500 km long routes. According to Vaishnaw, while two sets of the train are ready, eight more Vande Bharat sleeper trains will be rolled out in the coming six months, taking the total to 12 by the end of the year.
Minister Vaishnaw on Tuesday posted a video of ‘water test’ of the Vande Bharat Sleeper, in which a glass full of water was placed on three glasses full of water. There was no splatter of water when the train was running at 180 km per hour, demonstrating the smoothness of the ride at high speed.
Vande Bharat Sleeper tested today by Commissioner Railway Safety. It ran at 180 kmph between Kota Nagda section. And our own water test demonstrated the technological features of this new generation train. pic.twitter.com/w0tE0Jcp2h
— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) December 30, 2025
The train is fitted with modern technology and advanced features
The train is equipped with modern technology and advanced features, including KAVACH (Indian Railways’ indigenous Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system), crashworthy and Jerk-Free Semi-permanent couplers and Anti-Climbers, fire barrier doors at the end of each coach, improved fire safety, an aerosol-based fire detection and suppression system in electrical cabinets and lavatories, and a regenerative braking system for energy efficiency.
The Vande Bharat Sleeper trains are equipped with comfortable sleeper berths, advanced suspension systems, automatic doors, modern toilets, fire detection and safety monitoring systems, CCTV-based surveillance, digital passenger information systems, and energy-efficient technologies.
The air conditioning units in the train are provided with indigenously developed UV-C lamp-based disinfection systems, centrally controlled Automatic Plug Doors, and Fully Sealed wider gangways. All the coaches in the train have CCTVs, and an emergency talk-back unit for communication between the passenger and Train Manager/Loco Pilot in case of emergency.
For Divyangjan (physically disabled) passengers, there is a special lavatory in the driving coaches on each end, beside the Centralised Coach Monitoring System for better condition monitoring of passenger amenities such as Air conditioning, Saloon Lighting etc; and an ergonomically designed ladder for ease of climbing onto upper berths.
