Vande Bharat Sleeper vs. Rajdhani Express | Which Is Better?

Indian Railways plans to introduce sleeper versions of its Vande Bharat Express trains, aimed at facilitating comfortable long-distance travel at speeds up to 200 km/h. These new sleeper trains are intended to improve both comfort and speed for extended journeys.

While there is speculation about these sleepers potentially replacing the Shatabdi and Rajdhani trains, there has been no official confirmation yet.

Discussions are underway regarding the superiority between the new Vande Bharat sleeper and the Rajdhani Express.

Here are some anticipated features of the new Vande Bharat sleeper train:

The Vande Bharat sleeper will feature improved access ladders for upper and middle berths, sealed gangways for superior air conditioning, and a dust-free environment similar to its chair car counterpart.

Berths on the Vande Bharat sleeper will offer increased cushioning compared to the Rajdhani. Indian Railways is also considering additional cushioning on berth sides to enhance sleeping comfort. The train will include driver-controlled automatic entry and exit doors, as well as interconnecting doors between coaches.

The Vande Bharat sleeper accelerates and decelerates faster, reducing travel time and providing a smoother ride experience compared to the Rajdhani Express.

The Vande Bharat sleeper will adhere to strict fire safety standards, including fire barrier walls to prevent fire spread and doors designed to inhibit fire propagation between coaches.

With driver cabins at each end, the Vande Bharat sleeper eliminates the need for a separate locomotive, thereby streamlining station turnaround times.

In the event of an accident, the Vande Bharat sleeper is engineered with specialized couplers and crash buffers to provide enhanced safety measures compared to the Rajdhani Express.