The announcement regarding the fare structure for the new Vande Bharat Sleeper Express, which is set to be launched next week, has been made by the Railways officially. The new semi-high-speed sleeper train service will not have any RAC or waitlisted tickets and thus, it will be obligatory for every passenger to possess a confirmed booking.

A memo was issued by the Railway Board on January 9, declaring that the minimum distance for the Vande Bharat Sleeper would be 400 km even if the actual trip would be shorter. Only confirmed tickets will be sold at the start of the Advance Reservation Period (ARP), and all the seats will be opened for booking from day one.

The Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, is going to open the first Vande Bharat Sleeper Express train on the Howrah-Guwahati route. The new train is likely to take approximately three hours less than the current fastest express trains on that route.

Fare details

The ticket prices are going to be slightly higher than the premium trains such as the Rajdhani Express. The passengers will pay the fares depending on the distance traveled as per the below-mentioned rates:

• ₹2.4 per km for 3AC
• ₹3.1 per km for 2AC
• ₹3.8 per km for 1AC

Based on this configuration, the minimumop ration for a standard 400-km distance shall be:

• ₹960 for 3AC
• ₹1,240 for 2AC
• ₹1,520 for 1AC
  (GST will be charged separately)

The longer the distances, the higher the rates accordingly. A ten-hour trip of 1,000 km will cost ₹2,400 (3AC), ₹3,100 (2AC) and ₹3,800 (1AC). For 2,000 km, fares are raised to ₹4,800, ₹6,200 and ₹7,600 respectively.

In comparison, even though the per-kilometre rates of Rajdhani Express trains are lower, the highest existing fare on the Howrah–Guwahati route is far beyond the new Vande Bharat Sleeper fares.

No RAC facility

In regular AC trains, where RAC permits sharing of a berth between two passengers, the Vande Bharat Sleeper will not provide this facility. Every unconfirmed ticket will be nullified automatically. But the usual reservations for women, senior citizens, disabled persons, and railway employees will still be valid.

Route, speed and features

The initial service will be an overnight train consisting of 16 coaches featuring 11 compartment third class, 4 compartment second class, and 1 compartment first class. Stops will be made at ten stations on the route, and these stations are located in the territories of West Bengal and Assam, hence, the counties of Howrah, Malda, Jalpaiguri, Kamrup Metropolitan, and Bongaigaon will be included in this manner, respectively.

The train, by the way of its capability to attain a maximum velocity of 180 kmph, will still run at 130 kmph for safety considerations. However, this speed is still a great deal quicker than the Rajdhani trains which mostly operate at 80-90 kmph.

The Vande Bharat Sleeper boasts of attractive modern amenities including well-shaped sleeping areas, automatic doors with the internet, superior suspension for less bumpy rides, noise cutting technology, Kavach auto train safety, emergency talk-back systems, and hygiene technology.

With its high cost, modern safety features, and quicker travel time, the Vande Bharat Sleeper Express is seen as the next standard in luxury overnight rail travel in India.