Lok Sabha Question No. 714 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-04
Subject: Introduction of Amrit Bharat and Vande Bharat Sleeper trains in Karnataka
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Shri P C Mohan, Prof. Sougata Ray

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 714 TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.02.2026

## INTRODUCTION OF AMRIT BHARAT AND VANDE BHARAT SLEEPER TRAINS IN KARNATAKA

714. SHRI P C MOHAN: PROF. SOUGATA RAY:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Government has any proposal to introduce  Vande  Bharat Sleeper and Amrit Bharat trains to all States of the country, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (b) the details of the routes approved/proposed for these trains across the country  particularly  in  Karnataka,  including  those  originating/passing through Bengaluru;
- (c) whether any new services from Bengaluru have been prioritised under these categories and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) the criteria adopted  for selection of train services under  Amrit Bharat/Vande Bharat Sleeper  including  parameters such as passenger demand, route potential and infrastructure readiness; and
- (e) the expected benefits of these services for passenger comfort, regional
- connectivity and economic activity in Karnataka?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a) to (e) Indian Railways, with a view to improve travel experience of the passengers,  have  introduced  indigenously  designed  and  manufactured Vande Bharat trains with  modern coaches, advanced safety  features  and

passenger  amenities.  These  new  Vande  Bharat  Trains  have  following features:

1. Fitted with KAVACH.
2. 2.
3. Jerk Free Semi-Permanent couplers.
3. Centrally  controlled  Automatic  Plug  Doors  and  Fully  Sealed  wider gangways.
4. Emergency Alarm Push buttons and Talk Back Units on all Coaches.
5. Improved fire safety - Aerosol based fire detection and suppression system in electrical cabinets and lavatories.
7. 6.
8. Higher acceleration with design/operating speed of 180/160 KMPH.
7. Driver-Guard  communication  with  voice  recording  facility  &  Crash hardened memory.
8. Air conditioning units with indigenously developed UV-C lamp based disinfection system.
9. Better Ride Comfort.
10. CCTVs in all Coaches.
11. For Divyangjan passengers special lavatory in the driving coaches on each end.
12. Coach  condition  monitoring  System  (CCMS)  display  with  remote monitoring.

However, as the railway network straddles across State boundaries, trains are introduced across such boundaries as per network requirement.

As  on  30.01.2026,  02  Vande  Bharat  Sleeper  Express,  164  Vande  Bharat Express (Chair Car) and 54 Amrit Bharat Express are being operated on the Indian Railways network.

To cater to the needs of the passengers of Bengaluru area, 26651/26652 KSR Bengaluru  -  Ernakulam  Vande  Bharat  Express  and  16597/16598  SMVT Bengaluru-Alipurduar  Amrit  Bharat  Express  have  been  introduced  w.e.f 11.11.2025 and 24.01.2026 respectively. Besides,  16523/16524  SMVT Bengaluru -Balurghat Express and 16223/16224 SMVT  Bengaluru -Radhikapur  Express  have  also  been  introduced  w.e.f.  21.01.2026  and 22.01.2026 respectively.

Presently, on originating/terminating basis, the following 22 Vande Bharat train services (Chair Car) and 6 Amrit Bharat train serivces, are catering to the needs of various stations located in the State of Karnataka of which 14 Vande Bharat services and 04 Amrit Bharat services originate from/terminate in Bengaluru area.

## Vande Bharat:

|   SN | Train No. and Name                                             |
|------|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|    1 | 20661/20662 KSR Bengaluru - Dharwad Vande Bharat Express       |
|    2 | 20703/20704 Kacheguda - Yesvantpur Vande Bharat Express        |
|    3 | 20641/20642 Bengaluru Cantt. - Coimbatore Vande Bharat Express |
|    4 | 22231/22232 Kalaburagi - SMVT Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express   |
|    5 | 20671/20672 Madurai - Bengaluru Cantt. Vande Bharat Express    |
|    6 | 26751/26752 Belagavi - KSR Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express      |
|    7 | 26651/26652 KSR Bengaluru - Ernakulam Vande Bharat Express     |
|    8 | 20607/20608 MGR Chennai Central - Mysuru Vande Bharat Express  |
|    9 | 20669/20670 Hubballi - Pune Vande Bharat Express               |
|   10 | 20645/20646 Madgaon - Mangaluru Central Vande Bharat Express   |
|   11 | 20663/20664 Mysuru - MGR Chennai Central Vande Bharat Express  |

## Amrit Bharat:

|   SN | Train No. and Name                                              |
|------|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|    1 | 13433/13434 SMVT Bengaluru - Malda Town Amrit Bharat Express    |
|    2 | 16597/16598 SMVT Bengaluru - Alipurduar Amrit Bharat Express    |
|    3 | 16329/16330 Nagercoil - Mangaluru Junction Amrit Bharat Express |

Moreover, introduction of new trains including Amrit Bharat train services and Vande Bharat train services along with its variants on any route/section depends on various factors which include:

- Capacity of that section.
- Availability of path.
- Availability of required rolling stock.
- Availability of matching infrastructure for rolling stock.
- Maintenance requirement of railway tracks and other assets.

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