Overview
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the first Vande Bharat Sleeper on January 17 on the Howrah–Guwahati corridor, cutting the roughly 966 km journey by about three hours versus the fastest current service.
- The 16‑coach rake seats and berths 823 passengers across 11 AC 3‑tier, four AC 2‑tier and one First AC coach, with features such as advanced suspension, noise reduction, automatic doors and Kavach.
- Only confirmed tickets are permitted under Railway Board rules, with no RAC or waitlist, a 400 km minimum chargeable distance, and fixed fares up to 400 km of Rs 960 (3A), Rs 1,240 (2A) and Rs 1,520 (1A).
- Catering is bundled into the fare, with zonal railways reimbursing IRCTC at Rs 0.40 per passenger‑km, plus a one‑litre Rail Neer bottle and a newspaper for every traveller, while digital payments are required to enable refunds within 24 hours.
- Nine Amrit Bharat Express services connecting West Bengal and Assam to Delhi, Rohtak, Lucknow, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Nagercoil and Tiruchirappalli will launch in the coming days, with three Bengal trains to be flagged off on January 18 and fares positioned at about Rs 500 per 1,000 km.