News Brief
Indian Railways Expands Vande Bharat Express Train Production With New Coach Variants
Vande Bharat train
The Ministry of Railways is accelerating the production of Vande Bharat trainsets across multiple factories as demand for semi-high-speed services continues to rise.
Since their debut in 2019, Vande Bharat Express trains have redefined passenger travel by cutting journey times and enhancing comfort, and currently more than 150 such services operate on key routes across the country.
The Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai has been the primary hub for Vande Bharat production, but additional units such as the Marathwada Rail Coach Factory in Latur and the Modern Coach Factory (MCF) in Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh, are now engaged in manufacturing to scale up availability.
Traditionally, Vande Bharat trains have been built in 8, 16, and 20-coach formations, all produced at ICF, but Indian Railways is now introducing a new 12-coach configuration that will be rolled out from the Raebareli unit.
A senior railway official confirmed that the first 12-coach Vande Bharat rake is currently under production at MCF, with each rake comprising 12 coaches.
“First 12-coach Vande Bharat rake is currently under production at MCF. Each rake will comprise 12 coaches, and the first train is expected to be rolled out by November this year,” the official was quoted as saying by IE.
Designed for a top speed of 160 kmph, the Vande Bharat Express offers passengers a modern and premium travel experience with ergonomic seating, revolving chairs in executive class, sealed gangways for easy movement, automatic plug doors, mobile charging points at every seat, and mini pantries equipped with hot cases, bottle coolers, deep freezers, and water boilers.
Special lavatories for Divyangjan passengers are also included.
Safety remains a key focus with features such as the indigenous collision-avoidance system Kavach, CCTV cameras, emergency push buttons, talk-back units, aerosol-based fire detection and suppression systems, disaster lights, crash-hardened memory devices, and platform-side cameras.
Coach condition monitoring systems with remote access further enhance operational security, ensuring that the Vande Bharat continues to set benchmarks for speed, safety, and passenger comfort in India’s railway network.
