India will start exporting complete Vande Bharat trains within three to four years, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on November 1. He shared this plan while flagging off the new Bengaluru-Mumbai Vande Bharat Sleeper Express. India already exports railway components to many countries and now aims to sell full trains.

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India will begin exporting complete Vande Bharat trains within the next three to four years, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Sunday, November 1, as he flagged off the inaugural Bengaluru-Mumbai Vande Bharat Sleeper Express.

Vaishnaw said Indian Railways was improving the indigenously developed trainsets with each successive version and had already begun exporting complex railway components, including propulsion systems and bogies, to countries such as Switzerland, Germany, France, Italy and the United States.

“With every version of the Vande Bharat train, we are improving. Each time we manufacture a new version, we make improvements based on learnings from the previous versions,” he said.

“In the coming years, we will start exporting the full train as well,” the minister added.

India's railway manufacturing and export plans

The proposed exports would extend India's existing overseas supply of railway equipment to complete Vande Bharat trainsets.

In March 2026, the Railway Ministry informed Parliament that exports of Indian railway rolling stock and components had reached approximately Rs 26,000 crore between 2016-17 and January 2026.

The ministry said domestic manufacturers were producing locomotives, passenger coaches, traction motors, propulsion systems and other railway equipment for international markets.

Separately, Vaishnaw told Parliament in February that Indian Railways planned to manufacture 260 Vande Bharat Sleeper trainsets. The programme involves BEML, Chennai's Integral Coach Factory and technology partners, with production and induction into passenger service planned in phases.

Bengaluru-Mumbai Vande Bharat Sleeper begins operations

Vaishnaw's announcement came during the launch of the Bengaluru-Mumbai Vande Bharat Sleeper Express, which will cover approximately 1,118 km in around 16 hours.

Union Minister of State for Railways V Somanna said the service would reduce travel time by nearly eight hours compared with existing trains on the route.

The fully air-conditioned, 16-coach train has 823 berths across First AC, AC Two-Tier and AC Three-Tier categories.

Vaishnaw said the sleeper train incorporates improved facilities for passengers occupying middle and upper berths, along with advanced couplers designed to minimise jerks during travel.

Regular operations begin on November 2 from Mumbai and November 3 from Bengaluru.

The Bengaluru-Mumbai service will depart Sir M Visvesvaraya Terminal at 7.45 pm and reach Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus at 11.55 am the following day. The return train will leave Mumbai at 8.10 pm and arrive in Bengaluru at noon.

Both services will operate six days a week, excluding Mondays from Bengaluru and Tuesdays from Mumbai.

More Vande Bharat Sleeper routes planned

The Bengaluru-Mumbai service is India's third Vande Bharat Sleeper route, following the Howrah-Kamakhya service launched in January 2026 and the Varanasi-New Delhi service inaugurated on October 31.

Vaishnaw also announced plans for another sleeper service originating in Bengaluru, connecting North Karnataka towards Hubballi before proceeding to Pune and Mumbai.

The minister said Vande Bharat services between Bengaluru and Mangaluru were expected to commence within weeks, subject to completion of electrification and testing.