Vande Bharat Express
India's Indigenous Semi-High Speed Rail Programme
The Vande Bharat Express is India's indigenously designed and manufactured semi-high speed train, built by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai under the Make in India initiative. The first Vande Bharat service, between New Delhi and Varanasi, was flagged off on 15 February 2019. The trains are self-propelling Electric Multiple Units (EMUs), unlike conventional locomotive-hauled trains, enabling faster acceleration and deceleration.
- Maximum speed achieved during trial runs: 183 km/h; maximum operational speed: 160 km/h (on the Tughlakabad-Agra section).
- 78 Vande Bharat services are operational as of February 2026, with configurations of 8, 16, and 20 coaches.
- Features include automatic plug doors, sealed gangways between coaches, CCTV in every coach, and Divyangjan-accessible lavatories.
- The Government has set a target of 4,500 Vande Bharat trains by 2047 as part of the Amrit Kaal vision.
- Vande Bharat Sleeper variants are being developed for overnight long-distance routes, expanding the platform beyond chair-car services.
● Tracked since February 08, 2026 · last seen April 30, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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