Will Tripura get a Vande Bharat train? CM Manik Saha meets rail min Ashwini Vaishnaw to lift Agartala-Guwahati connectivity

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha confirmed that he urged Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw to provide a Vande Bharat service between Guwahati and Agartala. Saha met the railway minister in New Delhi recently to discuss the upcoming rail development for the region.

In the meeting, the CM said that they discussed the Vande Bharat inter-city connectivity between Agartala and Guwahati, local train connectivity between Dharmanagar and Sabroom, the laying of new tracks between Jirania and Bodhjungnagar industrial growth centre and Dharmanagar and Kailashar, and a Kishan Rail service between Agartala and Guwahati.

The Indian Railways have been actively rolling out Vande Bharat trains since 2024.

The new Vande Bharat Sleeper trainset | Indian Railways

The Railways recently ran Vande Bharat Special services on February 15, 16, and 17 between New Delhi and Varanasi, via Prayagraj, to service the large number of devotees flocking to the Maha Kumbh Mela.

Earlier last month, Vaishnaw also announced that a new Vande Bharat train equipped with "anti-freezing features" would be introduced between Katra and Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir. Final inspections of Banihal-Katra section in the route were undertaken, Vaishnaw added.

Later in January, the first 16-car Vande Bharat Sleeper trainset successfully completed trials by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) for a 540km run in the Mumbai–Ahmedabad route.

In comparison, the distance between Agartala and Guwahati (via Silchar) is just around 530km, just under the range of the tested Vande Bharat sleeper rakes.

According to the ministry, the production of nine more Vande Bharat Sleeper trainsets is scheduled between April and December this year. The region pins hopes on a northeastern Vande Bharat service to be included in the upcoming set of Vande Bharats, specially designed for longer journeys.