Overview
- India’s first Vande Bharat sleeper now runs overnight between Howrah and Kamakhya, cutting the 972 km trip by about 2.5 hours to roughly 14 hours.
- The 16 fully air-conditioned coaches seat 823 passengers across First AC, AC 2-tier and AC 3-tier, with a 180 kmph design speed and Kavach safety.
- Modi also inaugurated five Amrit Bharat Express services from Assam and West Bengal, linking routes such as Kamakhya–Rohtak, Dibrugarh–Gomti Nagar, Howrah–Anand Vihar, Sealdah–Banaras and Santragachi–Tambaram.
- Amrit Bharat trains use LHB rakes in push-pull configuration with upgraded berths, LED lighting, CCTV, air-spring bogies and typically 20–22 coaches on weekly runs.
- Railways issued passenger-comfort measures like premium linen kits and replaceable blanket covers after launch-day attention to cleanliness, even as the ministry targets roughly 800 Vande Bharat trainsets by 2030.