New Delhi:
The Vande Bharat sleeper train, planned for long and medium distances, has reached a top speed of 180 kilometers per hour during multiple tests over the last three days, the Ministry of Railways said on Friday.
The trials will continue until the end of January, before world-class travel is made available to people across the country, it added.
In a post on “Vande Bharat (Sleeper) tests at 180 kmph,” he wrote on the microblogging site.
The 32-second video shows a full glass of water next to a mobile on a flat surface in a Vande Bharat sleeper train. The static water level can be seen in the video as the train reaches a near-constant peak speed of 110 miles per hour.
The trials took place from December 31 to January 2.
According to the ministry, the train reached a top speed of 180 kmph on Thursday during a 30 km journey between Kota and Laban in Bundi district of Rajasthan. A day earlier, during a 40 km trial run between Rohal Khurd to Kota, the Vande Bharat sleeper train topped out at 180 km per hour.
Vande Bharat (Sleeper) tests at 180 km/h pic.twitter.com/ruVaR3NNOt
— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) January 2, 2025
“On the same day, peaks of 170 kmph and 160 kmph were reached on Kota-Nagda and Rohal Khurd-Chau Mahla sections. These trials will continue during the month of January under the supervision of RDSO, Lucknow,” the ministry said. said.
After these tests, the train is assessed for maximum speed by the Commissioner for Railway Safety. Only after passing the final phase, the Vande Bharat trains will be officially certified and handed over to the Indian Railways for induction and regular service, the ministry added.
“With these successful trials, train passengers can hope for a world-class travel experience on long-haul journeys such as Kashmir to Kanyakumari, Delhi to Mumbai, Howrah to Chennai and many other routes,” the ministry said.
Earlier, Mr. Vaishnaw said that Vande Bharat sleeper trains are equipped with modern amenities and passenger amenities.
He highlighted some of them such as Kavach automatic train protection system, compliance with the latest fire safety standards, crash-resistant and shock-free semi-permanent couplings and anti-climbers, regenerative braking system for energy efficiency and higher average speed with rapid deceleration and acceleration.
