India launches first Vande Bharat sleeper services for overnight travel

Indian Railways launched its first Vande Bharat sleeper services in early 2026, extending its semi-high-speed Vande Bharat family from daytime chair-car trains to overnight journeys.

The new trains are fully air-conditioned and built with berths instead of seats. They were positioned as a modern alternative to the Rajdhani Express, the premium overnight service that has linked the capital with other major cities for decades. The aim was to offer faster, smoother and more comfortable long-distance travel at night, when many Indian passengers prefer to travel.

The launch was a milestone for the Vande Bharat programme, the state-run railway's flagship effort to introduce domestically manufactured modern trains. Until then, all Vande Bharat services had been daytime chair-car trains suited mainly to medium distances.

The first route served as a test of passenger demand and operational reliability. Later expansion to more routes, and the planned addition of further rakes (train sets), depended on how these early services performed.