National: Indian Railways is going through a transformative phase in which the authorities are upgrading all existing trains, along with launching new trains. Railways' flagship Vande Bharat train turned out to be a game changer in terms of reforming Indian Railways. 

Recently, Indian Railways' Integral Coach Factory (ICF ) Chennai unveiled the fully airconditioned sleeper coaches, with improved safety features and best-in-class interiors of Vande Bharat trains. ICF has been making the swanky Vande Bharat Express trains since 2018 and so far, 77 such trains are in operation across the country, albeit with only chair car facility. The ICF unveiled its first Vande Bharat train rake with all AC sleeper coaches for long distances involving night travel.

The success story of the Vande Bharat train project set a healthy competition among top trains operating in the country. Here we make comparisons between the Vande Bharat Sleeper and India's another top train - Rajdhani Express.

Speed and Performance 

Indian Railways operates a total of 102 Vande Bharat train services (51 trains) till September 2024. Its maximum speed is 160 km/h, while Rajdhani Express train is capable of reaching speeds up to 140 km/h. The new sleeper coach trains of Vande Bharat series, though similar to chair car trains, has improved safety features. The coaches have been fitted with best-in-class interiors with GFRP (Glass fiber reinforced polymer) panels, aluminium extrusions berth frame with polyurethane foam cushion, bio-vacuum toilets with touch-free amenities, etc. to make travel not only comfortable but also more pleasant. They are engineered for superior speed and efficiency. 

Enhanced comfort

While the Rajdhani Express trains continued to serve passengers with state-of-the-art facilities,  the Vande Bharat sleeper coaches came up with some value-added facilities with the latest technology-enabled features. Vande Bharat sleeper's design was made to keep in mind the comfort of passengers. Extra cushioning on the side of each berth has been provided for better sleep comfort.

The existing Vande Bharat Express trains which are already being operated have an intelligent braking system which enables better acceleration and deceleration. All coaches are equipped with automatic doors; GPS-based audio-visual passenger information system, on-board hotspot Wi-Fi for entertainment purposes, and very comfortable seating. The executive class also has rotating chairs.

Salient features of Vande Bharat sleeper coaches:

• Crash worthy features in Trainset for Passenger safety
• Best-in-class interiors with GFRP panels
•  Aerodynamic exterior looks
• Modular pantry
• Automatic exterior passenger doors
• Sensor based inter communication doors
• Shower with hot water in 1st AC car
• Public announcement and visual information system
• Modern passenger amenities
• Spacious luggage room

Comparisin of toilets

The Vande Bharat sleeper train came up with an ergonomically designed odour-free toilet system equipped with bio-vacuum toilets and modular, touch-free fittings. Also Vande Bharati has special berths and toilets for differently abled. The toilets of Rajdhani Express trains are also equipped with similar facilities. It has a mordern lavatory- vacuum-assisted flushing with bio-toilets, touch-free soap dispenser.