Kinet Proposes New Lion-Embossed Design For Vande Bharat Sleeper Trains

As part of the continuous effort for transforming the experience of Indian Railways with the expansion of Vande Bharat Express — the network now has 33 operational routes across the country.

• Runs through 24 states/UTs, journeying over 12,000 km.

• Connects an expansive network of 160 stations.

Barring a few states where rail track electrification is going on and the UTs Diu, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar, all states and UTs are being catered to by Vande Bharat services.

The map below depicts the comprehensive network of these trains, showcasing the remarkable growth of Vande Bharat.

13 October 2023: Kinet Proposed New Design For Vande Bharat Sleeper—Kinet Railway Solutions Ltd, a collaboration between TMH, RVNL, and Russian supplier LES introduced a fresh design concept for Sleeper Vande Bharat trains.

• Features a lion embossed in a multi-colour scheme

• Both the exterior and interior are different from ICF's design

• First prototype of this VB sleeper is slated for 2025.

While BEML is producing the first VB sleeper transient for ICF, Kinet is free to design its own sleeper design.

02 October 2023: First Look Of The Sleeper Edition—The Vande Bharat sleeper train prototype, with 857 berths, will be ready by December 2023 and it will be rolled out from ICF Chennai in March 2024.

• BEML producing 10 sleeper trains for ICF

• Design finalised by BEML in consultation with ICF

• Railways awarded contract for manufacturing 200 sleeper VB trains to the consortiums of:

  - TMH-RVNL and

  - BHEL-Titagarh Wagons

• All sleeper trains to have a consistent design

24 September 2023: Mega Launch of Vande Bharat Trains—PM Modi inaugurated a total of nine Vande Bharat trains for service between several popular destinations, a record for a single day.

• New Routes:

  1. Udaipur-Jaipur

  2. Vijaywada-Chennai

  3. Tirunelveli-Chennai

  4. Ranchi-Howrah (via Tatanagar & Purulia)

  5. Jamnagar-Ahmedabad (via Rajkot)

  6. Secunderabad-Bengaluru

  7. Rourkela-Puri (via Dhenkanal)

  8. Patna-Howrah

  9. Kasaragod-Thiruvananthapuram (features new orange-white design).

• With this, now there will be two VB trains in Odisha and three AB trains connecting to Kolkata.

List of All Operational Vande Bharat Routes

Vande Bharat Express train is India's first semi high-speed train set with quick acceleration and contemporary passenger amenities.

According to the Indian Railways, these trains are leading examples of Make-in-India initiative, and mark a significant progress for the country's railway network and the enhancement of passenger experiences.

• Launched: 18 February 2019

• First route: Delhi-Varanasi, UP

🚆 From Our Amrit Kaal Collection: Embarking on a journey of growth...

Vande Bharat trains, India's first semi-high speed, fully air-conditioned trains, are a symbol of modernisation in Indian Railways.

With world-class amenities, they're redefining passenger travel in the country.

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05 September 2023: Vande Bharat For Neemuch, MP—Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that Neemuch in Madhya Pradesh is set to receive a Vande Bharat Express in the near future.

• Existing MP Vande Bharat Routes:

  1. New Delhi-Bhopal (launched 1 April 2023).

  2. Bhopal-Jabalpur (launched June 2023)

  3. Bhopal-Indore (launched June 2023)

23 August 2023: Vande Bharat For Chandigarh-Jaipur—The Northern Railways is mulling to launch VB service between Chandigarh and Jaipur.

• Status: Under consideration; awaiting Railway Board approval.

• Current Vande Bharat in Ambala:

  1. Delhi-Katra via Ambala.

  2. Amb-Andaura to New Delhi with Chandigarh halt.

• Third Vande Bharat train for Rajasthan, if approved.

17 August 2023: Vande Bharat Special Variant For Jammu & Kashmir—To be introduced by Chennai's Integral Coach Factory by next year.

• Features: Heating provisions for cold temperatures.

  - Special pipes to prevent freezing & breakage.

• Purpose: Adaptation for Jammu & Kashmir's climate.

• Operation Route: Jammu to Srinagar.

3 August 2023: Four New VB Express Routes This Month

• Patna-Howrah

• Kacheguda-Yeshwanthpur (Bengaluru)

• Chennai-Vijayawada

• Chennai-Tirunalveli

These four new routes will take the total number of semi-high speed trains to 29 from 25 operational VB trains.

31 July 2023: TMH-RVNL Sign Agreement—Shareholder agreement signed between TMH subsidiary, RVNL, and Locomotive Electric Systems for manufacturing sleeper Vande Bharat trains.

• Creation of special purpose vehicle 'Kinet Railway Solutions Limited' for manufacturing, supplying, and maintaining VB trainsets.

• SPV to supply 120 trainsets and maintain for 35 years.

• Manufacturing at Railways' Latur facility

The Railways plans to run the sleeper-edition VB trains on long distance routes.

23 July 2023: First Sleeper Prototype—Expected to rollout in March-April 2024 from BEML factory, Bangalore.

• Design in final stage at Integral Coach Factory, Chennai

• BEML to design, manufacture, commission 10 trainsets worth Rs 675 crore

• ICF provides electrics and wheels

• BEML handles coach assembly and furnishing

19 July 2023: India's Aluminium-Bodied Vande Bharat Sleeper Train—Indian Railways is yet to freeze the bidding process for the Rs 36,000 crore tender for the manufacturing and maintenance of 100 lightweight trains.

• French rolling-stock major Alstom emerged as lowest bidder

• Alstom asked to reduce Rs 150.9 crore bid for 100 trains.

• Manufacturing planned at Railways' Sonepat, Haryana facility.

18 July 2023: Vande Bharat Sleeper Variant Production Deal—Russian rolling stock major TMH and Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) resolve differences. The delay was due to RVNL's majority share request.

• TMH-RVNL JV bagged Rs 40,000 crore project.

• Plan to sign Shareholders Agreement for 120 VB sleeper trains.

• Shareholding: TMH subsidiary (70%), RVNL (25%), Locomotive Electronic Systems (5%).

• Contract includes 35-year maintenance.

7 July 2023: Maintenance Facility in Jogeshwari—Indian Railways initiated tendering for advanced maintenance facility.

• Designed for Vande Bharat sleeper version.

• Depot for maintenance & servicing of energy-efficient trains.

IRCON released EOI for subcontractors in civil & structural works.

• Features: State-of-the-art amenities, training facilities, electric substation.

• Capacity: 24-car trains; serves as train terminus.

• Infrastructure: 600m x 12m island platform with tracks on both sides.

Consortium led by Titagarh Rail Systems Limited (TRSL) and Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited signed a contract with Indian Railways on 14 June 2023.

• Deal: Manufacturing & maintenance of 80 VB sleeper train sets.

• Duration: Maintenance for 35 years.

• Contract value estimated: Rs 23,000 crore.

• Notable: First major contract awarded to private sector for complete train sets.

7 July 2023: Four New Vande Bharat Proposed Routes

• Lucknow-Prayagraj (third VB route for UP)

• Delhi-Chandigarh

• Chennai-Tirunelveli

• Gwalior-Bhopal (fourth third VB route for MP)

7 July 2023: Two Vande Bharat Express Launch

• PM Modi flags off two VB trains from Gorakhpur, UP.

• This is the 24th and 25th route on the VB network

• Gorakhpur-Lucknow: 302 km, stops at Ayodhya.

  - <4 hours journey

  - 8 coaches: 7 AC chair cars, 1 executive

• Jodhpur-Sabarmati: >400 km

  - 6 hours 10 minutes journey

  - Stops: Mahesana, Palanpur, Abu Road, Falna, Pali Marwar

Vande Metro: Following the successful model of the Vande Bharat Express, the Railways plans to introduce Vande Metro trains by 2024 — for local and suburban services across the country.

• To serve cities in 50-60 km radius

• Target: densely populated areas

• Designed for <100 km travel

22 June 2023: Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) invited tenders for 238 AC Vande Metro rakes.

• Aim: Upgrade Mumbai's rail system

• Total 2,856 cars to be procured, replacing non-AC trains in Mumbai

16 June 2023: Kerala preps for Vande Metro launch.

• Allocated in railway budget 2023-24.

• Location: Thiruvananthapuram & Palakkad divisions.

• Ten routes under consideration: 5 in each division.