The soon-to-be-launched Vande Bharat air-conditioned sleeper trains will be showcased at the Indian Railways Equipment Exhibition (IREE) 2025, which begins on October 15.
The Ministry of Railways has planned to introduce Vande Bharat Sleeper trains for long and medium distance journey. Vande Bharat sleeper trains are designed with features like automatic doors, on board WiFi and an aircraft-like design, according to railway officials.
"The bi-annual IREE 2025 will showcase Vande Bharat sleeper and chair car coaches. It will also have Amrit Bharat coaches, Tejas Bharat, Humsafar coaches, Namo Bharat trains and the Sri Lankan Mainline to name a few," said Dilip Kumar, Executive Director of Information and Publicity for the Indian Railway Board at the curtain raiser event of the exhibition.
The IREE 2025, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in collaboration with the Indian Railways, will be Asia's largest and the world's second largest event in the railways and transportation sector, according to the stakeholders.
Sitaram Sinku, Additional Member (production units), Indian Railway said, "Indian Railways is modernizing its fleet, rolling stock, key station, signals and telecommunications and nationwide station infrastructure, developing world class viaducts and Gati Shakti Frieght corridors – all this while leading railway transportation through a transformational and sustainable transition. This is being achieved through large-scale electrification and advanced green technologies. The innovations showcased at IREE 2025 show that rail can drive economic growth while moving us closer to becoming a Net Zero Carbon Emitter by 2030."
Talking about the event B Thiagarajan, Chairman, CII Trade Fair Council, said IREE 2025 will focus on railway modernisation, technology, safety, and creating business opportunities for MSMEs and large enterprises to collaborate with Indian Railways. "It will help us align with our goals of making Indian Railways a truly world-class, affordable, and safe, providing extraordinary comfort to the passengers," he said.
According to CII, the domestic railway market in India is valued at approximately Rs 2.5 lakh crore (approximately USD 30 billion), while the global market is estimated to be USD 360 billion. With continuous modernisation efforts and increasing participation in global supply chains, India is expected to capture a larger share of the international railway market in the coming years.