Kinet shows off 1st AC coaches for Vande Bharat sleepers
Kinet Railway Solutions—a joint venture between Russia's TMH and India's RVNL—just showed off the first AC coach design for the upcoming Vande Bharat Sleeper trains at IREE 2025 in New Delhi.
The new four-berth coach packs in stairs for upper bunks, USB ports, reading lights, and clever storage, all wrapped up in interiors that blend modern materials with classic Indian block prints.
Kinet will build and maintain nearly 2,000 of these coaches for 120 trains.
Production and maintenance details
Production kicks off at the Marathwada Rail Coach Factory in Latur by late 2025, after a round of upgrades. The prototype is set to debut in June 2026.
Maintenance hubs are coming up in Jodhpur, with more planned for Delhi and Bengaluru.
The Railway Ministry has tapped Kinet, BEML, and a Titagarh-BHEL team to build these trains.
According to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, the launch will happen once two trains are ready, with BEML assembling the first using ICF tech.