The Integral Coach Factory (ICF) will roll out the first Vande Bharat sleeper train in March 2024, according to BG Mallya, the General Manager of ICF. The sleeper coach for the Vande Bharat is currently in production and is expected to be unveiled in March 2024, within the current fiscal year.
We'll be launching the sleeper version of the Vande within this financial year. We'll also be launching the Vande Metro in this financial year. And we'll be launching this train for non-air conditioned passengers, which is called a non-AC push-pull train, which will have 22 coaches and a locomotive. And that launch is going to happen before 31st October, said B G Mallya.
The ICF is also developing a new type of Vande Bharat train called the Vande Metro. The Vande Metro will be a 12-coach train that will be used for short-distance travel. The train is expected to be rolled out by January 2024. The Vande Bharat Express, India's semi-high-speed train, extends its services to all states in the country with electrified railway lines. With a total of 50 operational services, the Vande Bharat Express has transformed rail travel by offering cutting-edge amenities and significantly reducing travel times for passengers.
The first Vande Bharat Express was flagged off on February 15, 2019, by the Prime Minister, running between New Delhi and Varanasi. These trains are manufactured at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai.