Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently launched the prototype of the Vande Bharat sleeper coaches fit for night journeys. The event was held at the Bharat Earth Movers Limited’s factory in Bengaluru. The train will be operated on the tracks within ten days for further inspections and experiments. The minister who examined the various facilities inside the coaches vowed to start the sleeper service within three months. There are 823 berths in the 11 AC three-tier, 4 AC two-tier, and 1 first-class AC compartment in the 16 coach train. He added that this was a historic moment and that the new coaches would provide a world-class travel experience. The minister also inaugurated BEML’s hanger that sprawls in 9.2 acres. Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Railways S Somanna, railway board chairman and CEO Sathish Kumar and BEML CMD Shantanu Roy were present.
Facilities in the coaches
The train, which can accelerate up to 160 kilometres per hour, boasts many modern luxuries. Meanwhile, the experiments would be conducted by speeding up the train to 180 kilometres per hour. The train has integrated reading lights on berths, magazine and mobile phone holders, and a snack table. Sturdy coaches are built in stainless steel and enhanced with Kavach, the automatic train protection system that prevents collisions.
It also has special berths and toilets for differently-abled passengers. The other facilities are:
1) Odour-free toilets and vast luggage spaces.
2) The interiors are designed using Glass Fibre Reinforcement Polymer (GFRP)
3) Hot water baths in the first AC class
K – RIDE needs technical strength
The railway minister said that the Karnataka Rail Infrastructure Development Company Limited requires more technical strength to execute the Bengaluru Suburban Railway project. He remarked that the project was quite complex. Meanwhile, Mr Vaishnaw added that he would visit Bengaluru after a few weeks to review the project's progress. Earlier, Minister for Large and Medium Industries and Infrastructure Development MB Patil had criticised the officials as the project was moving at a snail’s pace. Only 28 per cent construction of the Bayyappanahalli – Chikkanavara stretch in the 148-kilometre-long project has been completed. Meanwhile, the seven-kilometre stretch in the 25.57-kilometre long route from Yashwanthpura to Chikkavara will be completed next year.