Vande Bharat Metro For Short Distance Travel Expected By January: Official

The Integral Coach Factory (ICF) will roll out the first Vande Bharat sleeper train in March 2024, according to BG Mallya, the General Manager of ICF.

"Sleeper coach of Vande Bharat will be rolled out in the current financial year where the first train is under production and will be rolled out in March 2024," said Mr Mallya.  

The Vande Bharat sleeper trains will be a significant addition to the Indian Railways fleet as they will allow passengers to travel long distances on high-speed trains overnight.

The ICF is also developing a new type of Vande Bharat train called the Vande Metro which will be a 12-coach train for short-distance travel. The train is expected to be rolled out by January 2024.

"Vande Metro will be rolled out by January which will have 12 coaches," added BG Mallya

On September 5 Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that Madhya Pradesh's Neemuch would soon get a Vande Bharat Express.

Addressing the public at Neemuch on Monday, he said, "It is time for Vande Bharat to run on this route. Your Member of Parliament (MP) Sudhir Gupta has already requested for the same. Vande Bharat Express will run on your route soon."

It is pertinent to note that India's semi-high-speed train set, now offers its services in all rail-electrified states across the country. With 50 operational services, the Vande Bharat Express has revolutionised rail travel, providing state-of-the-art amenities and reducing travel time for passengers.

The first Vande Bharat Express was flagged off on February 15, 2019, by the Prime Minister, running between New Delhi and Varanasi. Manufactured at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, the train set symbolizes the 'Make-In-India' initiative and showcases India's engineering prowess.

The project to manufacture indigenous semi-high-speed train sets began in mid-2017, and within 18 months, the ICF Chennai completed Train-18. 

India's first semi-high-speed train was renamed Vande Bharat Express in January 2019 to emphasize its made-in-India status. The train achieved a maximum speed of 180 kmph on the Kota-Sawai Madhopur section.

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