August 14, 2026 03:16 am (IST)

Make this your homepage

News

Netaji row: Suvendu Adhikari govt strips BJP MP Anant Maharaj of state honour | Sukhbir Badal attacked by Nihang Sikh with kirpan at Maharashtra gurdwara; assailant detained | ‘If you cannot do it, we will pass an order’: Supreme Court’s final warning to Centre on food labels | ‘Time to move on’: Bombay HC sends strong message in Vijay Mallya-bank dispute | Netaji row explodes in Bengal: Suvendu Adhikari orders police action over ‘derogatory’ posts | Kolkata's NRS Hospital nurse found dead in washroom during night shift | RG Kar rape-murder case takes fresh turn as ex-TMC MLA Nirmal Ghosh arrested over cremation probe | ‘Govt has nothing to hide’: Amit Shah says ‘ready for debate’ on NEET crackdown; Rahul Gandhi hits back, ‘not interested in lecture’ | Tata Sons leadership shock: N Chandrasekaran won’t seek reappointment as chairman after February 2027 | ISI-linked Pakistani national arrested in Bengal over 'espionage' targeting Army, BSF, Railways

Vande Bharat

Modi flagging off first Vande Bharat sleeper train. Photo: Screen-grab/X video

PM Modi flags off first Vande Bharat Sleeper from Bengal — no waiting list, only confirmed berths!

India Blooms News Service | @indiablooms | Jan 17, 2026, at 02:09 pm

Kolkata/IBNS: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday flagged off the country’s first Vande Bharat Sleeper Train at Malda in West Bengal.

The Prime Minister interacted with students present at the launch event before formally inaugurating the premium service.

#WATCH | Prime Minister @narendramodi flags off India’s first Vande Bharat Sleeper Train (Howrah–Kamakhya) from Malda Town station, West Bengal.@PMOIndia @RailMinIndia @AshwiniVaishnaw #WestBengal #Malda #VandeBharatSleeper #Guwahati #InfrastructureDevelopment pic.twitter.com/gvKrXz2mgY
— DD News (@DDNewslive) January 17, 2026

The new train is expected to benefit passengers from several districts, including Kamrup Metropolitan and Bongaigaon in Assam, and Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Malda, Murshidabad, Purba Bardhaman, Hooghly and Howrah in West Bengal.

The Vande Bharat Sleeper will comprise 16 fully air-conditioned coaches — 11 AC three-tier, four AC two-tier and one first-class AC coach — with a total capacity of around 823 passengers.

In a departure from existing long-distance services, the train will operate without RAC or waiting-list tickets, allowing only confirmed berths.

#WATCH | Before flagging off India’s first Vande Bharat Sleeper Train from Malda Town, PM @narendramodi interacts with students and loco pilots on board.@RailMinIndia @AshwiniVaishnaw #WestBengal #Malda #VandeBharatSleeper #Guwahati #InfrastructureDevelopment pic.twitter.com/KOMszhM9iF
— DD News (@DDNewslive) January 17, 2026

Tickets can be booked digitally through the IRCTC platform, with concessions available for women, senior citizens, persons with disabilities and duty pass holders.

The launch comes months ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections scheduled for this summer.

#Vande Bharat Sleeper launch # PM Modi Malda # first sleeper Vande Bharat # Howrah Guwahati sleeper # no waiting list train India # IRCTC Vande Bharat booking # Bengal rail projects # Modi Bengal visit

Support Our Journalism

We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism

IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.