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Vande Bharat Sleeper & Kavach 4.0 Timeline

Vande Bharat Sleeper is a self-propelled overnight trainset, CRS-cleared to 180 km/h, but only one route (Howrah-Kamakhya) is commercial as of August 2026. Kav…

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FOUNDATION

Train 18 Becomes Vande Bharat Express

India's first self-propelled, distributed-traction trainset entered service as the Vande Bharat Express in February 2019 -- the architecture every later variant, includi…

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KAVACH ORIGINS

RDSO Develops TCAS, Rebranded Kavach

RDSO developed the indigenous Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) with domestic vendors from around 2020, later certified to Safety Integrity Level 4 (SIL-4) and reb…

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PROTOTYPE & KAVACH 4.0

BEML Unveils Sleeper Prototype; RDSO Approves Kavach 4.0

RDSO approved the Kavach 4.0 specification on July 16, 2024. On September 1, 2024, BEML unveiled the first Vande Bharat Sleeper prototype -- a 16-coach rake with 823 ber…

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180 KM/H TRIAL

CRS Clears Final High-Speed Trial at 180 km/h

Under Commission of Railway Safety supervision, the prototype peaked at 180 km/h on December 30, 2025 -- above its 160 km/h design speed, clearing the technical path to…

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COMMERCIAL LAUNCH

Howrah–Kamakhya Sleeper Enters Commercial Service

PM Modi inaugurated the Howrah-Kamakhya Vande Bharat Sleeper Express on January 17, 2026; commercial service began January 23, 2026 -- trains 27575/27576, roughly 14 hou…

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KAVACH EXPANDS

Kavach 4.0 Coverage Grows to 2,633 Route Km

Commissioned coverage rose fast: 1,452 route km by January 30, 2026; the Vadodara-Nagda section (224.51 route km) on March 30, 2026; 2,490 route km by July 13; and 2,633…

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LATEST STATUS

Izzatnagar Division Approved; Status as of August 26, 2026

On August 12, 2026, Kavach 4.0 was approved (not yet commissioned) across 660 route km of the Izzatnagar Division at an estimated Rs 295 crore. Delhi-Patna, Delhi-Amrits…

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