Vande Bharat Sleeper Train: Leveling up overnight travel
India's first Vande Bharat Sleeper Train, launched on January 17, 2026, is making long trips cleaner and comfier.
Running between Howrah and Guwahati, it shaves 2.5 hours off the usual journey and introduces some smart hygiene upgrades—like wool-rich blankets with removable white covers, replaced between passengers, included in your bedding kit.
Hygiene gets a tech boost
Those removable blanket covers? They're replaced between passengers, and the train uses advanced disinfectant technology described as killing 99% of germs.
This means you get fresh bedding without worrying about who used it last.
More comfort (without extra charges)
Beyond clean blankets, the train has splash-proof toilets, CCTV in every coach, automatic doors for safety, a collision prevention system called Kavach, and region-specific meals—all included in your ticket.
With space for 823 people across 16 coaches and AC 3-tier fares starting at ₹960 on some journeys, with fares for longer routes reported at around ₹2,300 and, for trips over 1,000km, ranging from ₹2,400 to ₹3,800, it's aiming for an airline-like experience on rails—with catering reported to be included on some services.