Payyanur: Kerala will get one of the new Vande Bharat Sleeper trains being built at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai.

Three routes have been given priority for the Kerala-bound train, which is Mangaluru–Thiruvananthapuram, Thiruvananthapuram–Chennai and Mangaluru–Chennai.

The Mangaluru–Thiruvananthapuram route is 631 km long. The Thiruvananthapuram–Chennai route covers 922 km, while the Mangaluru–Chennai route is 889 km.

The train will be one of the 10 Vande Bharat Sleeper trainsets ICF is contracted to build. Two are scheduled to be rolled out this year, with one of them coming to Kerala.

The 16-coach Vande Bharat Sleeper will be fully air-conditioned and have 823 berths. Instructions regarding the rake have already reached the Mechanical Department at Chennai Basin Bridge.

Vande Bharat trains built at ICF are tested at the Basin Bridge Yard before they are commissioned.

Vande Bharat Sleeper trains already running

The new sleeper trains are also being built by Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML). Four trainsets are currently being manufactured, of which two have already been rolled out.

Two Vande Bharat Sleeper services are now running on the Howrah–Kamakhya route. Two more are expected to be rolled out this year for the Mumbai–Bengaluru route.

At ICF, work has already started on the first batch of 10 sleeper trains. The 16-coach sleeper rakes are being made by converting rakes from the factory's existing Vande Bharat manufacturing programme, which includes eight-, 16- and 20-coach chair-car trains.

The Railways is now focusing more on Vande Bharat Sleeper and Amrit Bharat trains, after more than 100 Vande Bharat trainsets were manufactured.

For Kerala passengers, the wait is now for the final route announcement. Chennai, Mangaluru or a route connecting the two with Thiruvananthapuram could be the next destination for Kerala's Vande Bharat Sleeper.