Vande Bharat Express is a medium to long-distance superfast express service operated by Indian Railways. It is a reserved, air-conditionedchair car service connecting cities that are less than 800 km (500 mi) apart or take less than ten hours to travel with existing services and a planned reserved, air-conditionedsleeper service connecting cities that are 800 km (500 mi) to 1,200 km (750 mi) apart. The train was a part of the 'Make in India' initiative by the government and entered commercial service on 15 February 2019.
In 1960, the Railway Board of India commissioned a study to increase the speed of its trains, which was restricted to 96 km/h (60 mph) on the existent broad gauge lines.[3] A target of 160 km/h (99 mph) with an intermediate stage of 120 km/h (75 mph) was set for passenger trains. Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) started work on the same and using the coaches were manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) at Madras and hauled by diesel locomotives, Rajdhani Express capable of reaching speeds of up to 120 km/h (75 mph) were introduced in 1969.[4][5] With the introduction of WAP-1 electric locomotives, Shatabdi Express introduced in 1988, were capable of running at a maximum speed of 130 km/h (81 mph).[6][7][8]
From the late 1990s, the ICF coaches were replaced by safer and newer LHB coaches designed by Linke-Hofmann-Busch of Germany.[9][10] In December 2009, the Ministry of Railways of Government of India envisaged the implementation of high-speed rail projects to provide services at 250–350 km/h (160–220 mph) with the upgradation of existing tracks, construction of new lines and introduction of high speed trainsets.[11][12] In 2014, proposals were made to introduce semi-high-speed 160–200 km/h (99–124 mph) services between major cities.[13] In 2016, Gatimaan Express was inaugurated which achieved speeds of 160 km/h (99 mph) between Delhi and Agra.[14]
In June 2016, Indian Railways sought Requests For Qualification (RFQ) to jointly manufacture five thousand Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) sets with interested international and domestic parties.[15] In 2015, Talgo conducted trial runs on the Mumbai–Delhi line, completing the journey in ten hours, almost six hours quicker than the existing fastest train with an average speed of 117.5 km/h (73.0 mph). There were significant issues such as the adaptation of rakes, maintenance, higher costs and robustness.[16]Indian Railways could not reach a direct agreement and the deal never materialised.[17]
Making an indigenous trainset (2016–19)
After foreign proposals for introducing semi-high-speed trains were unsuccessful, the Make in India campaign fuelled the cause for developing the next generation EMU semi-high-speed trainsets locally. ICF worked on an indigenous design, which was constructed at the Integral Coach Factory.[18] These trainsets known as Train 18 initially, were introduced in 2018 and reached speeds of up to 183 km/h (114 mph) in trials.[19] These trainsets were later renamed to Vande Bharat.[20]
After the inauguration of the first two services, Indian Railways stopped production of new train-sets owing to internal issues.[25] In 2019, Indian Railways resumed tenders for the production of new sets with more time provided to come up with the cheapest bid for the upgrades required.[26] The second generation trainsets entered service on 30 September 2022.[27] Since Vande Bharat trains provide fast service across short-distances, similar to the Shatabdi Express, the trains will eventually replace the existing Shatabdis and Rajdhanis.[28][29] In December 2023, the Government announced a target to have 4,500 Vande Bharat trains by 2047.[30]
Sleeper version (2023-present)
As of 2023, ICF was developing a long-distance version of the Vande Bharat trainset with sleeper cars.[29] The first prototype was rolled out by BEML in September 2024.[31] The first trainset was expected to be ready for testing by 20 September and enter commercial service by December 2024.[32][33]
The trainset is capable of reaching speeds of up to 180 km/h (110 mph) but limited operationally to lower speeds
Vande Bharat Express uses Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) trainsets manufactured by Integral Coach Factory in Chennai.[34] The trainsets have eight, sixteen or twenty chair cars.[35] A standard sixteen car rake consists of two Driving Trailer Coaches, one each on every end along with two non-driver trailer coaches, four trailer coaches with pantographs and eight motor coaches.[36] A second generation sixteen car trainset weighs 392 tonnes and costs ₹115 crore (US$13 million).[37][38] The chassis of a coach is 23 m (75 ft) long, and is made of stainless steel.[39]
The train has two classes of accommodation with the AC Executive Class being the premium class and the AC chair being the other. The executive class coach can seat 52 passengers and is equipped with rotating seats in a 2x2 configuration.[42] The chair car coaches can seat 78 passengers per coach (44 in first and last coaches) and are equipped with retractable seats in 2x3 configuration.[43] The coaches are fully air conditioned and equipped with electric outlets, reading lights, CCTV cameras, automatic doors, bio-vacuum toilets, Sensor-based water taps and Passenger information system.[44] The coaches have wider windows with roller blinds and overhead racks for luggage.[45] The service offers onboard catering with both vegetarian and non-vegetarian meal options included in the fare as standard.[46][47]
Services
The first service was introduced in February 2019. By December 2023, about 35 trains were operational.[48] As of January 2025[update], 66 Vande Bharat trains are in service, which includes 15 sixteen-car services, 08 twenty-car services and 43 eight-car services.[49]
