Udaipur, February 28,2025 - The production of the much-awaited Vande Bharat sleeper train has been delayed by 9 months. The first prototype, which was earlier planned for June 2025, will now be ready by March 2026. A revised contract states that the first prototype will be delivered by March 2026. The second prototype will be ready within 60 days after the first one.

The delay happened because the Railways changed the train design plans and later returned to the original plan. This caused a delay in approvals and production costs. Originally, each train was planned to have 16 coaches. The Railways wanted to increase it to 20-24 coaches, which caused production delays.

80 Sleeper Trains in Six Years

• First year – 8 trains

• Second year – 12 trains

• Third year onward – 20 trains per year

Other Vande Bharat Train Delays

Another batch of 120 trainsets by a different company has also faced delays due to contract issues. The Railways is now working on speeding up the production process to meet future deadlines.

Source: Media Reports