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The prototype of the Vande Bharat Sleeper trainset has been manufactured and will undergo field trials. The timeline of the rollout of the train is subject to the successful completion of the trials, the Ministry of Railways said in a release on Friday.
Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw, in a statement laid on the table of the Rajya Sabha, said that presently, Vande Bharat Sleeper Trains planned for long and medium-distance journeys are equipped with modern features and passenger amenities. Some of the distinguished features and amenities of these trains are fitted with KAVACH, EN-45545 HL3 fire safety standards compliant train, crashworthy and Jerk-Free Semi-permanent couplers and Anti Climbers. Crashworthy design of carbody complying with EN standards, regenerative braking system for energy efficiency, higher Average speed with quick deceleration and acceleration and emergency talk-back unit for communication between Passenger and Train Manager/Loco Pilot in case of emergency are some of the other distinguished features and amenities of these trains. These trains will also have accommodation and accessible toilets for Passengers with restricted Mobility (PRM) in the driving coaches on each end, centrally controlled automatic plug doors fully sealed wider gangways and ergonomically designed ladders for ease of climbing onto upper berths. These trains will also feature a centralized coach monitoring system for better condition monitoring of passenger amenities such as air conditioning, saloon lighting etc. These trains will also have CCTV surveillance cameras in all coaches. Talking about medium-distance Vande Bharat train services, the Union Minister said that as of 02nd December 2024, 136 Vande Bharat train services with Chair Car Coaches are running across the Indian Railways network. Of these, 16 Vande Bharat Express services cater to the needs of stations located in the States of Tamil Nadu. The longest distance Vande Bharat train services are running between Delhi and Banaras, covering a distance of 771 km. He further added that the introduction of new train services, including Vande Bharat services and its variants, is an ongoing process on Indian Railways subject to traffic justification, operational feasibility, resource availability, etc. (ANI)
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