New Delhi, February 08, 2025.

After the completion of the long distance trial of the first Vande Bharat Sleeper train, the Ministry of Railways has given an order to manufacture nine more sleeper versions of Vande Bharat Express trains by the end of December 2025. Officials said that these 16-car trains will be produced by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), the Indian Railways’ manufacturing unit in Chennai.

Apart from this, the Indian Railways is also eyeing the production of 24-car Vande Bharat Sleeper trains. It has placed an order for propulsion electrics, the system where a train is powered by electricity, for 50 rakes of 24-car Vande Bharat Sleeper train sets on December 17, 2024. The order has been awarded to two companies — Hyderabad-based Medha Servo Drives Pvt Ltd (MSDPL) and French manufacturer Alstom — who will supply propulsion systems for 33 rakes and 17 rakes, respectively over two years.