Vande Bharat sleeper train hits top speed of 180 km per hour during trials

Trials to continue till this month-end after which the trains will be made available for long-distance travel by Indian Railways

New Delhi: The government on Friday said that Vande Bharat sleeper train has achieved a peak speed of 180 km per hour in its multiple trials in the last three days.

The trials will continue till this month-end, before this world-class travel for long-distance travel is made available to rail commuters across the nation, the Ministry of Railways said.

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Sharing a video of a successful trial in Kota Division, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, mentioned the speed in a post on X.

The video shows a full glass of water adjacent to a mobile on a plain surface inside a Vanbe Bharat sleeper train. The static water level can be seen in the video as the train achieves near constant peak speed of 180 km per hour.

The post came after 3 days of successful trials, which concluded on January 2, in which a Vande Bharat sleeper train in its loaded condition touched the peak speed, according to the ministry.

On Thursday, during a 30-km long run between Kota and Laban in Bundi district of Rajasthan, the train reached a peak speed of 180 km/hour. A day earlier, in a 40 km long trial run between Rohal Khurd to Kota, Vande Bharat sleeper train touched the peak of 180 km per hour.

On the same day, peaks of 170 km/hr and 160km/hr were achieved on the Kota-Nagda and Rohal Khurd-Chau Mahla sections.

“New Year is all set to bring faster and safer rail travel to commuters in India. After successfully giving faster, safer, and world-class travel experience to people travelling short- and medium-distance chair car trains, Indian Railways is also making this a reality for long-distance trains,” the minister emphasised.

Once these trials are over, the train will be evaluated by the Railway Safety Commissioner at the maximum speed. Only after passing the final stage, Vande Bharat trains will be officially certified and handed over to Indian Railways for induction and regular service, the ministry said.