Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to inaugurate India’s first Vande Bharat Sleeper train service soon, connecting Kamakhya in Guwahati with Howrah in West Bengal. The launch is likely to take place in the second week of January, marking another important step in the modernisation of Indian Railways. According to official documents, the new service will operate under the Northeast Frontier Railway and will run as a fully air-conditioned overnight premium train. The Vande Bharat Sleeper will cover a distance of 966 kilometres between Kamakhya and Howrah in about 14 hours and 30 minutes.
As per the tentative schedule, the train will depart from Kamakhya at 7 pm, stop at Malda Town during the early morning hours, and reach Howrah at 9.30 am. On the return journey, it will leave Howrah at 6 pm and arrive at Kamakhya at 8.30 am the next day. This will be the first-ever sleeper version of the Vande Bharat series. The rake will consist of 16 AC coaches, including one First AC coach, four Second AC coaches and eleven Third AC coaches, with a total passenger capacity of around 823 travellers. Since the train is intended as a premium service, the Railway Board has directed that high-quality linen items should be provided to passengers. Each passenger will receive bed sheets, pillow covers, blankets and towels to make the overnight journey more comfortable.
The new train is expected to provide faster and smoother overnight travel between Assam and West Bengal. People travelling for work, education, medical treatment and family visits are likely to benefit from the improved service and reduced travel time. All preparations for the inauguration are now in progress. The service will remain under the jurisdiction of Northeast Frontier Railway, which is working on operational and passenger-related arrangements ahead of the launch.