New Delhi– The upcoming Vande Bharat Sleeper trains will introduce redesigned upper berths that are both more comfortable and easier to access for passengers of all age groups, a government official said on Wednesday.
Nishank Garg, Director of the Vande Bharat Project at Kinet, the joint venture overseeing the initiative, told IANS that extensive passenger feedback influenced the design changes.
“Passengers often feel that upper berths are uncomfortable and hard to reach. We designed the new Vande Bharat Sleeper with this in mind,” Garg said.
He noted that the ladders leading to the upper berths have been specifically engineered for ease of use, making the layout more passenger-friendly. “This feature will be available from the very first train, which we aim to deliver next year. We are making rapid progress toward that goal,” Garg added.
Evgeny Maslov, Chief Designer of the Vande Bharat Project at Kinet, said the new design reflects a vision to enhance comfort and redefine long-distance rail travel in India.
“Our goal is to provide a next-level comfortable travel experience. We believe Vande Bharat is a truly significant project for the country, and this design represents our vision of how it will evolve in the future,” Maslov said.
Kinet Railway Solutions is a joint venture between CJSC Transmashholding — Russia’s largest rolling stock manufacturer — and Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), a public sector enterprise under the Ministry of Railways. The collaboration is responsible for designing and manufacturing 1,920 sleeper coaches (120 trainsets) for the Vande Bharat project and maintaining them for 35 years.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw highlighted the broader achievements of India’s railway modernization drive, noting that 35,000 kilometers of new tracks have been built, 46,000 kilometers electrified, and 40,000 new coaches manufactured over the last 11 years under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.
“In the past 11 years, Prime Minister Modi has placed strong focus on railway modernization, and the results are clearly visible,” Vaishnaw said. (Source: IANS)
