Hopes of traveling on the much-anticipated New Delhi to Srinagar Vande Bharat Sleeper Train have been dampened as no official confirmation has come from the Ministry of Railways regarding its rollout. The ministry has clarified that there are currently no plans to introduce the sleeper train on this route.
Despite the lack of an official announcement, there have been widespread reports suggesting a potential 13-hour Vande Bharat Sleeper service on the New Delhi-Srinagar rail route, covering a distance of 800 km. If approved, the train would operate on the highly anticipated Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL), a 272 km project sanctioned in 1994-95, expected to be completed this year.
It is noteworthy that Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, during a session in the Rajya Sabha, stated that 255 km of the 272-km USBRL has already been completed. The remaining 17-km stretch between Katra and Reasi is currently under construction. The total projected cost of the USBRL project stands at Rs 41,000 crore, with Rs 38,931 crore already spent as of March 2024.
Speaking to The Statesman, Dilip Kumar, Executive Director of Information and Publicity at the Railway Board, clarified that no announcement has been made regarding a Vande Bharat Sleeper Train to Srinagar.
He further explained that the sleeper variant is still undergoing trials, with the first trial conducted earlier this year in the Southern Railway zone. Once trials are successfully completed and routes are finalized, decisions regarding train allocations will be made, contingent upon the completion of the USBRL project, he said.
Kumar emphasized that while there are plans to enhance connectivity to Srinagar by rail, no official confirmation regarding the Vande Bharat Sleeper Train has been made yet. The sleeper variant of the train is expected to offer multiple class options, including AC 3 Tier, AC 2 Tier, and AC First Class, with different price points.