# Vande Bharat Sleeper records 126% occupancy on Howrah-Kamakhya route 2026-08-13T14:01:10+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The Vande Bharat Sleeper train has achieved 126% occupancy on the Howrah-Kamakhya route, according to Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, Chief Public Relations Officer of Northeast Frontier Railway. Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the service from Malda Town on January 17, 2026. Built by BEML using ICF technology, the orange-and-grey train has cut travel time by up to six hours. The train runs 16 coaches, 11 AC 3-tier, four AC 2-tier and one AC 1st class, and halts at 13 stations including New Jalpaiguri and New Cooch Behar. Departing Howrah at 18:20 hrs, it reaches Kamakhya at 08:20 hrs. The strong response underlines demand for faster overnight connectivity between West Bengal and Assam. ## Coverage - businesstoday.in Tags: BEML, Howrah-Kamakhya, Indian Railways, Northeast Frontier Railway, Vande Bharat Sleeper Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/vande-bharat-sleeper-records-126-occupancy-on-howrah-kamakhya-route/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/vande-bharat-sleeper-records-126-occupancy-on-howrah-kamakhya-route/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.