India plans to begin exporting complete Vande Bharat trains to international markets within the next three to four years, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Sunday.
Speaking at the flagging-off ceremony of the Bengaluru-Mumbai Vande Bharat Sleeper Express on November 1, Vaishnaw said Indian Railways was continuously improving the indigenously developed trainsets with each successive version and was preparing to take the complete trains to overseas markets.
“With every version of the Vande Bharat train, we are improving. Each time we manufacture a new version, we make improvements based on learnings from the previous versions,” he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
“In the coming years, we will start exporting the full train as well,” the minister added.
India has already started exporting railway components and equipment, including propulsion systems and bogies, to countries such as Switzerland, Germany, France, Italy and the United States, Vaishnaw said.
The proposed exports of complete trainsets would mark an expansion of India’s existing railway equipment exports.
According to information provided by the Ministry of Railways to Parliament in March 2026, exports of Indian railway rolling stock and components stood at approximately ₹26,000 crore between 2016-17 and January 2026. Indian manufacturers produce locomotives, passenger coaches, traction motors, propulsion systems and other railway equipment for overseas markets.
Vande Bharat export plans
The export push comes as Indian Railways and state-owned engineering consultancy RITES Ltd are exploring opportunities to take Vande Bharat trains to international markets, The Indian Express reported.
RITES is working with Indian Railways on developing a standard-gauge version of the train for overseas markets. India’s existing Vande Bharat trains operate on broad-gauge tracks, while standard gauge is widely used across several international railway networks.
Bengaluru-Mumbai Vande Bharat Sleeper
Vaishnaw’s announcement coincided with the launch of the Bengaluru-Mumbai Vande Bharat Sleeper Express, which will cover approximately 1,118 km in around 16 hours.
Union Minister of State for Railways V Somanna said the service would reduce travel time by nearly eight hours compared with existing trains on the route.
The fully air-conditioned train has 16 coaches and 823 berths across First AC, AC Two-Tier and AC Three-Tier categories.
Regular operations begin on November 2 from Mumbai, while the Bengaluru service is scheduled to commence on November 3.
The train will depart Sir M Visvesvaraya Terminal in Bengaluru at 7:45 pm and reach Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in Mumbai at 11:55 am the following day. The return service will leave Mumbai at 8:10 pm and arrive in Bengaluru at noon.
Both services will operate six days a week, excluding Mondays from Bengaluru and Tuesdays from Mumbai.
