Kolkata, September 25, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Operational staff of Vande Bharat trains will soon undergo advanced training at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur under a five-year agreement signed between the institute and the Indian Railways Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering (IRIMEE), Jamalpur.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), coordinated by IIT Kharagpur’s Centre for Railway Research (CRR), aims to strengthen the technical capabilities of Indian Railways officials in advanced rolling stock technologies.
The specialised residential training will focus on semi-high-speed trains and cover advanced traction and propulsion systems, electrical safety, Train Control and Management Systems (TCMS), rolling stock diagnostics, condition monitoring, reliability engineering and regenerative braking.
The MoU was signed by Prof Swagata Dasgupta, Dean of Outreach, IIT Kharagpur, and Prem Prakash, Dean, IRIMEE. Prof Vikranth Racherla of IIT Kharagpur and Siddharth Shankar of IRIMEE will serve as nodal officers.
According to IIT Kharagpur, the programme will combine classroom instruction, laboratory experiments, hands-on training and field visits, with the aim of supporting safer, smarter and more reliable railway operations as well as greater adoption of indigenous technologies.
Indian Railways currently operates 79 Vande Bharat trains across various routes and plans to introduce more services. It also operates a Vande Bharat sleeper service between Howrah and Kamakhya in Assam.
With more sleeper trains planned, officials said additional personnel with specialised technical expertise would be required to operate and maintain them, particularly on longer routes. Staff will need to identify faults in advanced systems and carry out necessary rectification.
Indian Railways plans to acquire 260 Vande Bharat sleeper trainsets, of which 60 are currently under construction. A prototype Vande Bharat freight train is also undergoing trials.
Unlike conventional train rakes that rely on locomotives, Vande Bharat trainsets use multiple coaches equipped with electric traction motors. Each powered coach can provide traction for itself and two non-motorised coaches, creating a more complex operating and maintenance system.
The trains also incorporate advanced control technologies, making specialised technical training important for operational personnel.
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