Regular operation of the Howrah-Kamakhya Vande Bharat Sleeper Express will begin on Jan 22. The country’s first sleeper Vande Bharat was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi 2 days ago. Railway sources said in the near future, another sleeper Vande Bharat is likely to run from Delhi to Howrah and Guwahati via Prayagraj, strengthening the city’s long-distance connectivity. Meanwhile, the Railway Board released the fare chart for the new service. According to a letter issued on Jan 15 by Praveen Kumar, director (passenger marketing), several new rules were also framed. Children below 12 years travelling without a separate berth will be allotted only lower berths, as per availability. For journeys up to 400 km, fares were fixed at Rs 960 for AC-3, Rs 1,240 for AC-2, and Rs 1,520 for First AC. For a distance of 1,000 km, the rates will be Rs 2,400, Rs 3,100, and Rs 3,800, respectively. The system will display all available berths at the time of booking, and efforts be made to automatically allot lower berths to men above 60 years and women above 45 years, based on availability.
