Country's first Vande Bharat sleeper train has been announced; find out how much the fare will be
Vande Bharat Sleeper Train: The route for the country's first Vande Bharat sleeper train has been finalized, and Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced the route of the much-awaited first Vande Bharat sleeper train at Rail Bhavan. He said that the first Vande Bharat sleeper train, which the country will receive this month, will run between Howrah in Kolkata and Kamakhya in Guwahati. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw also stated that the first Vande Bharat sleeper train will start on January 17 or 18, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off this new train.
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Number of seats in Vande Bharat sleeper train has
The Railway Minister said that the Vande Bharat sleeper train will be run to connect cities between 1000 km and 1500 km apart. Regarding this route, he said that this route has been chosen as part of PM Modi's 'Purvodaya' (Eastern Development) concept, so that the connectivity of the northeastern states with the rest of the country can be further improved.
Ashwini Vaishnaw announced the Vande Bharat sleeper train
This new Vande Bharat sleeper train will have 16 coaches, including 11 Third AC coaches, 4 Second AC coaches, and one First AC coach. The total passenger capacity of this train will be 823 passengers, with 611 seats in Third AC, 188 seats in Second AC, and 24 seats in First AC. This semi-high-speed train will run at a speed of up to 180 km per hour.
What will be the fare of Vande Bharat sleeper train
Now, an important question for passengers is, what will be the fare for this new Vande Bharat sleeper train? Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the fare for the Vande Bharat sleeper train has been carefully considered and will be significantly lower than the airfare available on this route.
He explained that the average airfare from Guwahati to Kolkata ranges from 6,000 to 8,000 rupees, and can even go up to 10,000 rupees. However, the fare for the Vande Bharat sleeper train from Howrah to Guwahati will be 2300 rupees for Third AC, 3000 rupees for Second AC, and 3600 rupees for First AC. These fares also include meals served during the journey.
The train fares have been designed such that passengers traveling in First AC will pay 3 rupees 80 paise per kilometer, those in Second AC will pay 3 rupees 10 paise per kilometer, and those in Third AC will pay 2 rupees 40 paise per kilometer.
12 Trains to be Produced by the End of This Year
The Railway Minister also stated that 12 new Vande Bharat sleeper trains will be produced by the end of 2026, meaning the railways will have 6 new Vande Bharat sleeper train sets available by the end of the year. However, according to sources in the Ministry of Railways, there are plans to connect these 6 trains to major cities across the country, as this Vande Bharat sleeper train is designed to connect cities located between 1000 km and 1500 km apart.
Summary
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw gave this good news to the country on the occasion of the New Year. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced the route of the country's first Vande Bharat sleeper train on Thursday, January 1, 2026. This train will run between Guwahati and Kolkata. This is considered a big gift from the Modi government on the New Year. This train will be very high-tech and all passenger amenities have been taken care of.
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