In a historic moment for Indian Railways, the first ever Vande Bharat Sleeper train of the country was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, January 17th, 2026.
Linking Howrah with Guwahati (Kamakhya), the new service promises to be faster, safer and much more comfortable than existing trains like the Saraighat Express. On the one hand, the routine service will connect Eastern India’s two major hubs, but on Sunday it ran an unique road from Malda to signify the Centre’s emphasis on increasing connectivity in North Bengal and Northeast.
The First Run: What to Know and Timeline
The first special (Train No.02075) left Malda Town at 1245 hours on Saturday. A crowd had gathered at the station to watch its arrival in a new orange-and-grey livery, a radical shift from the traditional blue-and-white scheme of the existing Vande Bharat chair cars.
- Maiden Run: The train ran from Malda Town to Kamakhya Junction, Guwahati over a distance of about 636 km.
- Stoppages : The First special stopped at important stops of New Jalpaiguri(NJP), New Cooch Behar, stations like New Alipurduar, New Bongaigaon & Rangiya etc.
- Time: The special run covered the 968 km distance in nearly 10 hours, while the regular Howrah-Guwahati service is expected to take about 14 hours and will shave nearly three hours off the current fastest time.
Meanwhile, virtually the Prime Minister also flagged off the return trip (Train No. 02076) from Kamakhya to Howrah making it operational in both directions on day one itself.
Next Generation “Rajdhani”: Features and Amenities
Claimed to be an upgraded model of the legendary Rajdhani express, it is being termed as Vande Bharat Sleeper. Made by BEML in partnership with the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), the train has been designed as an Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) – which means it is self-propelled and does not need a separate locomotive. This enables you to reach higher speeds with greater ease and for much more relaxed, noiseride.
Superior Comfort and Aesthetics
The train has 16 fully AC coaches and the total occupancy of an 823 passengers. The composition features 11 AC 3-Tier coaches, 4 AC 2-Tier coaches and one First-Class AC coach.
Comfort Berth : The berths are provided with Superior cushioning and ergonomically designed ladders for easy climbing to the upper berth.
Privacy and Light: Every berth has a personal reading light, USB charging point and mobile device pocket. First-class passengers even get hot water in the shower cubicles — a first for Indian Railways.
High-Tech Safety
The new sleeper model has safely been the focus. It has been fitted with Kavach, the Indian made automatic train protection system. Additionally, the train features:
- Aero Dynamic Design: Designed with a nose cone to help minimize air drag.
- Central Monitoring: A centre monitoring station which will enable locopilot to see all the coach activity including CCTV and sensor.
- Fire prevention and extinguishing: Advanced fire detection, alarming system meeting the international standard.
Regular Schedule and Ticket Pricing
The Vande Bharat Sleeper will start operating as a commercial service after the inauguration celebrations. The train will run 6 days a week ( except thursday from Howrah and Wednesday from Kamakhya )
Regular Timings:
Howrah Kamakhya (27575): Leaves at 6:20 PM; Reaches at 8:20 AM.
Kamakhya – Howrah (27576): The train leaves at 6:15 PM and reaches destination at 8:15 AM.
Fare Structure (Approximate)
The fares are based on distance and marginally higher than Rajdhani but worth due to the lesser travel time and better food/comfort:
- AC 3-Tier: ~₹2,299
- AC 2-Tier: ~₹2,970
- First Class AC: ~₹3,640
And the most interesting part is there will be no RAC (Reservation Against Cancellation) or waitlist in this train, so every passenger will get a confirmed seat with comfy berth.
Implications on Regional Connectivity and Tourism
Strategically the Malda launch is important. Malda being the entrance point of North Bengal, is significant for the students, tea garden workers and businessman. The government wants to reinvigorate the local economy and provide better connectivity between Kolkata and Guwahati, which are two of India’s biggest IT and healthcare hubs, by running the Vande Bharat Sleeper here.
And the train is also set to provide a big boost for religious tourism. It connects the Kalighat Temple in Kolkata and the Kamakhya Devi Temple in Guwahati so the pilgrims visiting the two most popular “Shakti Peethas” can do it in an overnight journey.
Vande Bharat Sleeper, What’s Next?
“Today is just the starting point,” PM Modi said at the launch ceremony. This is only the first on the Howrah-Guwahati route as additional sleeper rakes are being tested on Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah routes. Ultimately the aim is to either replace or supplement all long-distance premium trains with these high-speed, self-propelled sleeper sets by the end of decade.
The Vande Bharat Sleeper is a “Made in India” success story, one that’s already attracting attention around the world; Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has suggested that India could soon start exporting these best-in-class train sets to other countries.
