Sun Feb 02 07:42:12 IST 2025: ## India’s Railway Budget Prioritizes Safety and Expansion of Passenger Capacity
**New Delhi:** India’s latest railway budget emphasizes improvements across the board, focusing on both luxury and general passenger services. A key highlight is the expansion of the Vande Bharat network, including the introduction of the first-ever sleeper version of the semi-high-speed train. Trials are complete, and the sleeper Vande Bharat is slated for public launch soon, with further expansion planned. Currently, 136 Vande Bharat Express trains operate across 136 routes, with production significantly increasing. The Northern Railway zone boasts the highest number with 22 trains.
The budget also prioritizes increased passenger capacity in general and sleeper coaches on mail and express trains. This includes the accelerated production of 10,000 coaches for the Amrit Bharat trains (currently two in operation), which primarily feature general and sleeper classes. An additional 2,000 general class coaches will be added to mail and express trains this year.
Safety remains a top priority for the Indian Railways, according to the Ministry of Railways. The ministry also confirmed that other premium train services like Humsafar (72 routes), Rajdhani (36 routes), Tejas Rajdhani (14 routes), Shatabdi (42 routes), Tejas (8 routes) and Gatimaan Express trains are also operational.
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