Vande Bharat sleeper trainset
Artist's impression of the Vande Bharat sleeper trainset
ManufacturerBEML, Integral Coach Factory
OperatorsIndian Railways
Specifications
Car body constructionLight-weight Stainless steel and Aluminium
DoorsAutomatic
Maximum speed220 km/h (140 mph)[1]
Power supply25 kV 50 Hz AC
Braking system(s)Air, Regenerative braking
Track gauge5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge

The Vande Bharat sleeper trainset, formerly known as Train-20 is an under development High-speed, long-distance electric multiple unit (EMU) train designed to replace the Rajdhani Express. It is being developed based on existing short-distance Vande Bharat, differing in exterior body, sleeping berths, and onboard amenities due to its long-distance service.

This train was earlier planned to have featured two distinctive classes, the air-conditioned chair car and sleeper car. The sleeper cars would have included AC first class, AC two-tier and AC three-tier sub-classes.[2][3] However, these plans were shelved after the tenders were red flagged. A series of fresh tenders were launched in 2022 and the contracts for which were awarded in 2023.

Following the renaming of Train-18 as Vande Bharat Express, any mentions of Train-20 were stopped. It is currently known as Vande Bharat Sleeper.[4]

Background

Long-distance (over 1,000 km (620 mi)) train travel in India takes more than twelve hours to complete, making it hectic for the commuters. For example, the Mumbai Rajdhani Express between Mumbai and New Delhi takes about 15 hours and 32 minutes to complete the 1,386 km (861 mi) journey. Thus the introduction of a semi-high-speed train with modern coaches could reduce the travel time significantly.[5] Hence Indian Railways began to upgrade the tracks as well as plan for new trainsets that could match the passenger rail standards operated across the developed world.[3]

India began to develop its next generation EMU trainsets named Train-18 which were composed of chair class coaches and were intended to replace short distance services of Shatabdi Express. During the design phase of this train in 2018, Indian Railways had also planned to introduce a long-distance, sleeper version to replace the half a century old Rajdhani Express.[6][7] The EMU train with aluminium coaches, a first of its kind in India, was estimated to cost ₹2,500 crore (US$310 million). It was expected to roll out by 2020, hence it was named "Train-20" similar to its counterpart, the Vande Bharat, which was initially called "Train-18".[8]

History

Initial plans and cancellation

During the initial plans for the trainset, the designers felt that an aluminium body would make it lighter, energy efficient, and aesthetically 'better looking'. Companies from Japan, China, and Europe were said to be in the race to win the bid for the design consultancy contract for Train-20. The tender as said by the officials was supposed to be finalised by mid-February, 2018. Integral Coach Factory (ICF) planned to build two train rakes by 2020 and thereafter add 24 more trains to the service in the future.[9] Although the pre-bid conference had attracted around seven global players, the Stadler-Medha consortium emerged as the sole bidder after final submission. Others lacked a pre-condition which said that the manufacturer should have an existing manufacturing facility in India. The authorities then began to examine the bid submitted by the Swiss consortium.[10]

In July 2018, the Nallasopara-Virar train shed which was built by Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation, emerged as a shed that could likely maintain the Train-20 rakes. Western Railways was likely to operate the train's first service, potentially between Mumbai and New Delhi.[11]

Later in 2018, Indian Railways received a rap from the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion which red-flagged the initial tender, stating that it was not in line with India's ambitious 'Make in India' project. Hence, a brand new tender was said to be floated with reworked conditions that would also take care of the interests of domestic manufacturers.[12]

Fresh plans

In 2022, the Government of India floated fresh tenders to construct 200 new sleeper-class trainsets.[4] In March 2023, they announced that the contract for the production of the trains was awarded to the consortium comprising RVN (Indian enterprise) and TMH (a Russian rolling stock company) which emerged as the lowest bidder with ₹120 crore (US$15 million) per trainset.[13] RVN-TMH consortium, the lowest bidder would manufacture a total of 120 trainsets while the second lowest bidder would manufacture the remainder of 80 sets.[14] A month later, BHEL-Titagarh Wagons consortium bagged the contract to manufacture the remainder of 80 trainsets at the same price, for six years.[15] The commercial production of these sets was slated to begin in June 2025.[16]

Apart from the tenders for 200 trainsets with stainless steel bodies, there were tenders floated in the same year for the manufacturing and maintenance of 100 aluminium body trainsets, for which, Alstom, the French rolling stock manufacturing company emerged as the lowest bidder with ₹150.9 crore (US$19 million) per trainset. The aluminium body was chosen for its lighter weight relative to the stainless steel.[17]

In August 2023, the Russian TMH, part of the RVN-TMH consortium, submitted a performance bank guarantee of ₹200 crore (US$25 million) thus ending all the speculations of the bid's failure. As per the bid, the consortium would manufacture the 120 trainsets in the Indian Railways facility at Latur and would maintain the sets for 35 years.[18][19]

Production

Organisation Bid per trainset Trainsets Body
ICF-BEML Unknown 10 Stainless steel
RVN-TMH ₹120 crore (US$15 million) 120
BHEL-Titagarh 80
Alstom ₹150.9 crore (US$19 million) 100 Aluminium

The production of the first prototype built by ICF-BEML was underway in July 2023 with the launch of the train planned for March 2024.[20] ICF-BEML were slated to manufacture 10 such trainsets.[21]

Engineering

The 16-coach electric multiple unit trainset is planned to have eleven AC three-tier coaches, four AC two-tier coaches, and one AC first-class coach. The train with a carrying capacity of 887 is slated to operate at speeds up to 160 km/h (99 mph). Like its seating-only counterpart, the train has an aerodynamic design which helps in countering drag at higher speeds. Driver cabins at both ends enable quick turnaround of the train at terminal stations. The presence of motorised systems in alternative coaches will enable a quick acceleration and deceleration rates of 0.7–0.8 m/s2 (2.3–2.6 ft/s2).[22]

According to the first glimpses of the trainset's renders shared on social media,[23] the interiors revealed a modernised design relative to the existing services. The designs were created in collaboration between ICF and BEML. Propulsion will be supplied by ICF, with the assembly of the entire train to be carried out at BEML.[24]

The fully air-conditioned train will have inter-communicative automatic doors. The coaches are designed to have better coupling to reduce jerks, and with improved soundproofing, it is expected to offer a comfortable ride. Every coach will be equipped with a small pantry as well as a sensor-based lighting system in the common areas. 'Soft lighting' will be used to provide a modern ambience. The train will have bunk beds with ladders.[21] The beds will be designed to be broader, comfortable and better cushioned relative to the existing services. Out of 857 berths, 823 will be reserved for the passengers with the remaining 34 designated for the onboard staff. Some of the berths will be disabled-friendly.[25]

There would be three ergonomically designed restrooms per coach, with one of them being designed for the differently abled. These restrooms are equipped with odour control systems, and the wash basins in them are being designed to have anti-spill features. Since this train is intended for long distance journeys, spacious room for luggage will be provided. Public announcement systems and visual information systems will help in guiding the passengers. A hot shower facility will be exclusively provided for passengers in the first AC.[26]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Sleeper version of Vande Bharat train to be designed to travel at 220 kmph". Business Standard. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  2. ↑ "Accommodation Classes in Indian Railways". Indian Railways. Archived from the original on 26 April 2017. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Indian railways to unleash world-class semi-speed trains by 2020". The Better India. 13 October 2017.
  4. 1 2 Dipak K Dash (27 April 2022). "Railways invites bids for 200 Vande Bharat trains with sleeper coaches for long-distance travel". The Times of India. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  5. ↑ "Six reasons why Indian trains are appallingly slow". First post. 8 July 2014.
  6. ↑ "Train-18 country's first engine-less train rolled out; Train 20 next". The Economic Times. 29 October 2018.
  7. ↑ "Train-20: Aluminium-bodied trainsets to run on Rajdhani routes". The News Minute. 25 December 2017.
  8. ↑ "Train-20: Aluminium-bodied trainsets for Rajdhani routes". Free Press Journal. 26 December 2017.
  9. ↑ "Engine-less train: 160 kmph Train 18 to be out in June, Train 20 in 2020". The Indian Express. 23 January 2018.
  10. ↑ "Lone bidder for ambitious Rs 2,700 crore Train-20 project". The Week. 14 February 2018.
  11. ↑ "Indian Railways' self-propelled modern T-20 train sets may be maintained in Nallasopara-Virar: Report". The Financial Express. 9 July 2018.
  12. ↑ "Train 20: World-class semi-high speed train sets to replace Indian Railways Rajdhani Express; know about them". The Financial Express. 8 August 2018.
  13. ↑ "Sleeper Edition Vande Bharat Express: Indian Railways Issues Contract Award Letter for Production of 120 Trains". 30 March 2023.
  14. ↑ "Vande Bharat Express: Who emerged as the lowest bidder for manufacturing sleeper versions of India's semi-high-speed train? Details here". Financialexpress. 2 March 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  15. ↑ "BHEL-led consortium bags order to supply 80 sleeper class Vande Bharat trains worth over Rs 9,600 crore". The Economic Times. 12 April 2023. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  16. ↑ "Vande Bharat sleeper train commercial production at TRSL's Bengal plant from June 2025". The Economic Times. 25 July 2023. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  17. ↑ Bureau, The Hindu (31 May 2023). "French company Alstom to make 100 Vande Bharat trains with sleeper coaches". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  18. ↑ Das, Arun Kumar (28 August 2023). "Russian Major TMH Deposits Rs 200 Crore As Bank Guarantee For Making 120 Vande Bharat Sleeper Trains In Partnership With RVNL". India Infra Hub. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  19. ↑ "Plan for Vande Bharat sleeper trains on track as Russian rolling stock major deposits bank guarantee". The Times of India. 29 August 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  20. ↑ "Indian Railways unveils launch details of Vande Bharat Sleeper Version – Know about its composition and more". Financialexpress. 17 September 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  21. 1 2 "Vande Bharat sleeper trains to have a "wow" factor never seen before on Indian Railways; details here". The Times of India. 13 October 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  22. ↑ "Specification and standards of Vande Bharat trains" (PDF). indianrailways. 27 April 2022. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  23. ↑ @AshwiniVaishnaw (3 October 2023). "Concept train - Vande Bharat (sleeper version) Coming soon… early 2024" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  24. ↑ "Vande Bharat sleeper coach: Ashwini Vaishnaw shares new photos, rollout in 2024". mint. 3 October 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  25. ↑ "Vande Bharat Sleeper Trains: Features To Design, All You Need To Know". NDTV.com. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  26. ↑ "Exclusive: How Will Vande Bharat Sleeper Train Be Better Than The Rajdhani Express? Top Passenger-Friendly Features To Know". Times of India. 10 January 2024.
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