February 10, 2026 09:14 pm (IST)

Make this your homepage

News

Bangladesh poll manifestos mirror India’s welfare schemes as BNP, Jamaat bet big on women, freebies | Drama ends: Pakistan makes U-turn on India boycott, to play T20 World Cup clash as per schedule | ‘Won’t allow any impediment in SIR’: Supreme Court pulls up Mamata govt over delay in sharing officers’ details | India-US trade deal: ‘Negotiations always two-way’, says Amul MD amid farmers’ concerns | Khamenei breaks 37-year-old ritual for first time amid escalating Iran-US tensions | India must push for energy independence amid global uncertainty: Vedanta chairman Anil Agarwal | Kanpur horror: Lamborghini driven by businessman’s son rams vehicles, injures six | ‘Namaste Trump beat Howdy Modi’: Congress slams PM Over India-US trade deal | Historic India-US trade pact: Tariffs cut, $500B market opportunity unlocked! | Big call from RBI: Repo rate stays at 5.25%, neutral stance continues

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

#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

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.

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.