The Indian Railways planning to launch the Vande Bharat sleeper trains later this year, which will gradually replace the Rajdhani Express– the staple and flag-bearer of sleeper trains in the country– in a phased manner.
Vande Bharat Sleeper Train: We have got some great news for travellers planning a train journey from Secunderabad to Pune or vice-versa in the near future as the Indian Railways is tipped to roll out the state-of-the-art Vande Bharat Sleeper train on this key route, later this year.
As per earlier reports, the Indian Railways planning to launch the Vande Bharat sleeper trains later this year, which will gradually replace the Rajdhani Express– the staple and flag-bearer of sleeper trains in the country– in a phased manner.
Notably, the Vande Bharat sleeper train is also likely to replace the old workhorse Shatabdi Express on the Secunderabad-Pune route, once the semi-high speed train starts its commercial operations.
At present, the Shatabdi Express runs on the Secunderabad-Pune route and takes around 8 hours and 30 minutes to complete its journey between the two cities. The Secunderabad-Pune Vande Bharat sleeper train will likely reduce this travel time by at least a couple of hours, besides also providing a much more comfortable and secure travel experience to passengers.
Secunderabad-Pune Vande Bharat sleeper timings
As the railways is still in final phases of preparing a rollout of the much awaited Vande Bharat sleeper trains, the timings and halts of the Secunderabad-Pune Vande Bharat sleeper train have not been decided yet.
These will be revealed as soon as the service is rolled out, officials have said.
Vande Bharat trains on Secunderabad route
Currently, five Vande Bharat trains operate on the Secunderabad route; Secunderabad – Visakhapatnam, Secunderabad – Tirupati, Tirupati – Secunderabad, Kacheguda – Yesvantpur (Hyderabad – Bengaluru) and Vijayawada – MGR Chennai Central.
Vande Bharat sleeper trains
The Vande Bharat sleeper trains are tipped as the future of sleeper class trains in the country, featuring advanced security systems and customer amenities for a hassle-free and comfortable travel experience.
Built by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), a Chennai-based production unit operating under the Ministry of Railways, and Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), the Vande Bharat sleeper trains are in the final phases of safety tests for which the ICF has contracted RITES Ltd (Rail India Technical and Economic Service) to carry out an independent safety assessment (ISA).
In a statement, the Railways said the safety assessment including several steps, such as design reviews, final safety acceptance assessments, and review of test results are in the final stages, while also asserting that the Vande Bharat sleeper train will be a “world-class,” “class-apart” train set, carrying a distinct “wow” factor.
Vande Bharat sleeper train features
According to the Ministry of Railways, the Vande Bharat sleeper trains will be “state-of-the-art” carriages, offering modern amenities and all the latest features to passengers for a new experience in safety and comfort never before witnessed in train travel in India.
Earlier this year, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, while giving a sneak peak of some of advanced features customers can expect in the new Vande Bharat sleeper trains, revealed that the design of the roof, car body, and load has been enhanced to increase their capacities.
For added passenger comfort, the vibration and noise levels inside the Vande Bharat sleeper train coaches will be significantly reduced compared to regular sleeper trains, he said.
The Minister also revealed that the air conditioning system has been improved and the seat cushions will have integrated tech-enabled features providing a comfortable experience to passengers.
The Vande Bharat sleeper train will also have a better-designed climbing ladder for the sleeper berth, including the foot contact area, to make it more accessible and user-friendly, he said, adding that train will also offer well-designed mobile charging and storage spaces, designed for passenger comfort and ease-of-access.
The Vande Bharat sleepers will also feature sensor-based lighting, inter-communicative automatic doors, and improved soundproofing for added traveller comfort. Besides these trains will also have small pantries in each coach and restrooms equipped with odour control and anti-spill washbasins.
The Vande Bharat trains will have a total of 67 sleeper berths, officials said.