Overview
- Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said services are expected to start in the next 15–20 days, with an exact date to be announced after a request for a mid‑January launch.
- The inaugural 16‑coach rake provides 823 berths across 11 AC 3‑tier, four AC 2‑tier and one AC First Class coaches.
- Despite a 180 km/h design speed, the train will operate at roughly 120–130 km/h on the Guwahati–Howrah sector.
- Indicative one‑way fares are about ₹2,300 for 3AC, ₹3,000 for 2AC and ₹3,600 for 1AC, with meals and region‑specific menus planned on each leg.
- Trials and certification are complete, including a CRS‑supervised 180 km/h run on Kota–Nagda, as BEML ramps production using ICF technology toward about 12 sleeper rakes this year at ₹8–8.5 crore per coach.