MUMBAI: The city will host a high-speed trial of the Vande Bharat Sleeper on Sunday, as a new prototype undergoes a 130 kmph oscillation test run on the Mumbai–Ahmedabad corridor. Oscillation trials are tests conducted to measure the train’s stability and riding comfort at various speeds.
The 16-coach train, the second prototype currently being tested on this route, is part of Indian Railways’ push to introduce premium overnight travel by mid-2026. A separate, orange-black prototype has already touched 180 kmph in the Kota division.
Sunday’s run is a confirmatory oscillograph trial, during which a specialised Research, Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) coach will monitor the train’s behaviour through sensors and precision equipment. The rake comprises 11 AC 3-tier, four AC 2-tier and one First AC coach, and arrived in Mumbai late Saturday after departing Ahmedabad.
“This oscillatory trial at 130 kmph is strictly for testing ride quality and suspension performance. It does not indicate where the train will run once commissioned. However, the Mumbai–Vadodara–Ahmedabad corridor is fully capable of handling the Vande Bharat Sleeper in future,” a senior railway official said.
The trials will run only during daylight to ensure better inspection, with an uninterrupted path allocated for monitoring. Mandatory operational speed restrictions for other rail traffic will continue to apply during the run. The prototype has been under intensive testing since January 2025 across varied terrains and conditions.
Sources said the Vande Bharat Sleeper should enter passenger service by mid-2026. This second prototype incorporates improvements based on feedback from the first: upgraded toilets, redesigned berths, repositioned holding arms and fixtures, Type A and Type C charging ports, foldable snack tables, integrated lighting and laptop charging points.
Boost to local and long-distance capacity
Parallel to the trials, Western Railway is pushing ahead with major expansion across its suburban network to increase the number of both local and long-distance services.
The final stretch of the doubling project between Bandra Terminus and Borivali is in its last leg and expected to be completed by December 2025–January 2026. Rail lines, sleepers, ballast and earthworks are in place, and the crucial final connection to Borivali station is under way. “The linking of tracks at Borivali should be ready by December,” a senior WR official said.
Once operational, these two new lines will separate long-distance trains from suburban services between Bandra Terminus and Borivali, improving punctuality on the Churchgate–Borivali corridor and opening space for new services. However, full benefits will materialise only after the Santacruz–Mumbai Central Phase-2 segment progresses, a section currently stalled.
On the Borivali–Virar stretch, work on the 5th and 6th lines, a ₹2,184 crore project, has crossed 15% progress, with completion aimed for March 2028, subject to land acquisition. Alignment has been finalised via drone surveys, and permissions have been granted for work in mangrove zones at Dahisar–Mira Road and Naigaon–Vasai.
Further north, the Virar–Dahanu quadrupling project, costing ₹3,578 crore, has reached about 45% completion and is expected by 2026–27. “Once Borivali–Virar is expanded, we can operate two to two-and-a-half times more long-distance trains and add additional suburban services. Survey work for quadrupling from Dahanu till Anand, covering over 300 km, has also been sanctioned,” the official said.
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