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24 coach Vande Bharat train: pantry car, 1,224 berths and a June 2027 target. What changes vs the 16-coach sleeper
ICF Chennai has been tasked with building 50 Vande Bharat sleeper trains with 24 coaches and a pantry car, with June 2027 as the target, TOI reported on 12 October. It is a plan, not a launch: the design is still being finalised. Here's what is reported, and how it compares with the 16-coach train running today.
TL;DRThe short version
- The 24 coach Vande Bharat train is a plan, not a launch. ICF Chennai has been tasked with building 50 24-coach Vande Bharat sleeper trains, with June 2027 as the target and the design "expected in a month" (TOI, 12 Oct 2026, citing sources).
- Capacity: 1,224 berths vs 823 on today's 16-coach sleeper, in 17 AC 3-tier, 5 AC 2-tier and 1 AC First Class coach plus one AC pantry car (TOI, January 2026, citing railway officials).
- No route, fare or date for passengers has been announced. The only Vande Bharat sleeper in service is the 16-coach Howrah–Kamakhya train, flagged off on 17 Jan 2026.
- To ride the 16-coach Vande Bharat sleeper running today, check trains and book on IRCTC: irctc.co.inThe 24-coach version cannot be booked; compare it with the 16-coach train in our tool: kyuntrend.in/tools/vande-bharat-16-vs-24-coach/.
Key facts
- What
- 24-coach variant of the Vande Bharat sleeper trainset
- Builder
- Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai
- How many
- 50 trainsets (TOI; ICF PRO to Indian Express, Jan 2026)
- Target
- First half of 2027, June 2027 target date (TOI, 12 Oct 2026)
- Status
- Design being finalised; expected in about a month (TOI sources)
- Berths
- 1,224 (24-coach, planned) vs 823 (16-coach, in service)
- New
- Dedicated AC pantry car, more toilets, upgraded interiors
- In service today
- 16-coach Howrah–Kamakhya Vande Bharat sleeper (since Jan 2026)
Short answer: the 24 coach Vande Bharat train is a longer version of the Vande Bharat sleeper that Indian Railways wants for long overnight routes. ICF Chennai has been tasked with building 50 of them. The design is still being finalised, and the rollout target is the first half of 2027, with June 2027 as the target date, according to sources quoted by The Times of India on 12 October 2026. Nobody can book one yet.
01
Myth The 24-coach Vande Bharat train has launched.
Fact No. TOI says the design is still being finalised and the target is June 2027. No route, fare or start date has been announced.
02
Myth Every Vande Bharat sleeper will get 24 coaches.
Fact No. The 24-coach version is ICF's order of 50 trains. Other makers (BEML, Kinet, Titagarh–BHEL) are building sleeper trainsets under separate projects (TOI).
03
Myth The current sleeper has a pantry.
Fact TOI reports the pantry car is a feature absent from the other Vande Bharat sleeper design; it is new in ICF's 24-coach version.
16-coach vs 24-coach Vande Bharat sleeper
| 16-coach (in service) | 24-coach (planned) | |
|---|---|---|
| AC 3-tier coaches | 11 | 17 |
| AC 2-tier coaches | 4 | 5 |
| AC First Class coaches | 1 | 1 |
| Pantry car | No | Yes, one AC pantry car |
| Berths | 823 (3A 611, 2A 188, 1A 24) | 1,224 |
| Status | Howrah–Kamakhya since Jan 2026 | Design stage; June 2027 target |
Sources: 16-coach composition and berth split from Indian Railways' figures reported by The Indian Express; 24-coach composition and berths from railway officials quoted by TOI in January 2026. That makes 401 more berths, about 49% more, per train. A per-class berth split for the 24-coach train has not been published, so we don't estimate one.
Compare them side by side, and see what 50 trains would add, in our 16 vs 24 coach Vande Bharat comparison tool.
What else is reported to change
- Pantry car: food can be heated and served on board, a feature absent from the other Vande Bharat sleeper design (TOI).
- More toilets and improved interiors, though design work is still under way (TOI).
- In January, officials told TOI the design includes accessible toilets and ramps, Kavach, CCTV, regenerative braking and a 160 km/h maximum operating speed. Those were plans at the design stage.
Timeline has already slipped once
In January 2026, officials told TOI the 24-coach prototype was targeted for end-2026. The 12 October report puts the rollout in the first half of 2027. Treat June 2027 as a target, not a promise.
Who else is building Vande Bharat sleepers
TOI reports Indian Railways expects to introduce more than 200 Vande Bharat sleeper trains over the coming years: BEML (with ICF) is making 10, the Indo-Russian joint venture Kinet 120, and a Titagarh–BHEL consortium 80. ICF's 50 24-coach trains are a separate order.
Trend Monitor
Searches for the 24-coach Vande Bharat train were at zero until 12 October and spiked late that morning, after TOI's report on ICF's 50-trainset order (Google Trends, India, past 24 hours and 7 days, read about 9:15 PM IST).
- 24 coach vande bharat train+45,800% (past day)
Google Trends, India, rising queries, 30 days