NEW DELHI: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday unveiled the prototype version of the Vande Bharat sleeper coach at Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) in Bengaluru during which he announced that passenger operations for the Vande Bharat sleeper coach are expected to commence in the next three months. He said that the prototype rake of the Vande Bharat sleeper coach will undergo a series of rigorous trials and tests over the next ten days before it is rolled out on the track for further testing by railway authorities. 

Vaishnaw told reporters at the occasion, "After the success of the Vande Bharat chair cars, we have been working on the sleeper versions. Its manufacturing is now complete, and the train will go out for trials and testing from the BEML facility today." He also emphasized that the testing of the prototypes is a crucial step before moving to full-scale production. He said, "Once the prototypes of the Vande Bharat sleeper cars are properly tested, then we will start the series of production," further adding that mass production is expected to begin in about one and a half years, with two to three trains rolling out each month thereafter.

Vaishnaw also highlighted the complexities involved in designing a new train and noted that the Vande Bharat sleeper cars include several new features and explained, "We are continuously improving the design of the Vande Bharat train. We are learning from experience and improving it further. The same philosophy will be adopted for the Vande Bharat Metro."

He also informed that the Indian Railways is currently working on four different configurations, the Vande Bharat chair cars, Vande Bharat sleeper cars, Vande Bharat Metro cars, and Amrit Bharat, which aim to transform the travel experience for passengers. The Vande Bharat sleeper train, consisting of 16 coaches, is designed for overnight journeys covering distances of 800 to 1,200 kilometers.

The coaches would be equipped with enhanced oxygen levels and virus protection features, taking some lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic also the fare structure for these sleeper coaches will be on par with that of the Rajdhani Express, as it will be made affordable option for the middle class.