Only a few months before the assembly elections in Assam and West Bengal, PM Narendra Modi will launch the nation's first Vande Bharat Sleeper train between Guwahati and Howrah later this month.
With a speed of 120-130 kmph, the train will significantly improve overnight train travel and cut the time between two eastern capitals by more than three hours.
Ashwini Vaishnaw, the minister of railways, unveiled the inaugural route of the new, locally constructed train with a 180 kmph top speed.
In the third week of this month, the PM is expected to travel to West Bengal and Assam. In response to a query on the rationale behind the route that connects two states that would be polled, Vaishnaw stated that it is a component of the PM's "purvodaya" initiative, which aims to develop east and northeast India.
According to the minister, eight more of these trains covering 1,200-1,500 km itineraries will be introduced in the next six months, and by December, there will be twelve.
"From next year onwards, production will be ramped up rapidly as the entire supply chain will be in place by then," he stated. He provided information about the inaugural service, stating that it will operate six days a week and that the one-way cost would be Rs 2,300 for 3AC, Rs 3,000 for 2AC, and Rs 3,600 for 1AC travel.
For the first time, he noted, there will be no dynamic pricing because the national transporter has chosen to set a fixed fare for each class of travel in these trains: Rs 2.4, Rs 3.1, and Rs 3.8 per km for third, second, and first AC.
"In 2026, there will be a number of railroad modifications. One of them is this," Vaishnaw remarked. Asamese food would be supplied to travelers arriving from Guwahati, while Bengali food will be served to those departing from Kolkata.
Regarding the train's unique features, Vaishnaw stated that the AC system makes sure there is enough oxygen in the air to prevent passengers from experiencing discomfort and that the riding comfort is comparable to the best trains in the world.
Vaishnaw also provided information on the advancements made in track fencing, the network's 79% upgrade, and the Over Head Equipment (OHE) system, which consists of overhead cables, masts, and insulators and provides high-voltage electricity to power electric trains, allowing them to travel faster.
In the next two to three years, he continued, they plan to run additional trains and eliminate waitlisted tickets in some areas due to the expansion of railway infrastructure.
