UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Indian Railways’ New Year Gift to the Nation: First Vande Bharat Sleeper Train to Run Between Guwahati and Howrah

Q1. With reference to the first Vande Bharat Sleeper train pressed into service in January 2026, from which one of the following railway stations did the Prime Minister flag off the train?

  • A. Howrah Junction
  • B. Kamakhya
  • C. New Jalpaiguri
  • D. Malda Town

Q2. How many air-conditioned coaches make up the rake of India's first Vande Bharat Sleeper train flagged off on the Howrah–Guwahati (Kamakhya) route?

  • A. 14
  • B. 16
  • C. 20
  • D. 22

Q3. Which one of the following organizations indigenously designed and manufactured India's first Vande Bharat Sleeper trainset, unveiled at its Bangalore rail complex?

  • A. Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL)
  • B. BEML Limited
  • C. Integral Coach Factory, Chennai
  • D. Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala

Q4. With reference to BEML Limited, the manufacturer of the Vande Bharat Sleeper trainset, which of the following are NOT locations of its Defence equipment manufacturing units?

  1. Mysore (Karnataka)
  2. Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh)
  3. Palakkad (Kerala)
  4. Hyderabad (Telangana)
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 4
  • D. 3 only

Q5. In the context of BEML Limited, the manufacturer of the Vande Bharat Sleeper trainset, the term 'Defence Public Sector Undertaking (DPSU)' most precisely refers to which one of the following?

  • A. A government company in which majority equity is held by the Union and which operates under the administrative control of the Ministry of Defence
  • B. A private defence-equipment firm holding an industrial licence issued under the Arms Act and regulated by the Ministry of Home Affairs
  • C. An autonomous body constituted by an Act of Parliament to undertake strategic defence research, funded jointly by the Ministry of Defence and the armed forces
  • D. A joint venture between the three Indian armed services and a foreign Original Equipment Manufacturer for co-production of defence platforms

Q6. India's first Vande Bharat Sleeper trainset was indigenously designed, developed and manufactured at the Rail Complex of which one of the following entities?

  • A. Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai
  • B. Rail Coach Factory (RCF), Kapurthala
  • C. BEML Limited, Bengaluru
  • D. Modern Coach Factory (MCF), Raebareli

Q7. In the context of Indian Railways, the codename "Train-18" refers to which one of the following?

  • A. Vande Bharat Express
  • B. Tejas Express
  • C. Gatimaan Express
  • D. Namo Bharat Rapid Rail

Q8. Match List I (Premium train service of Indian Railways) with List II (Year of introduction) and select the correct answer using the code given below:

  • A. A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4
  • B. A-2, B-1, C-3, D-4
  • C. A-1, B-2, C-4, D-3
  • D. A-3, B-2, C-1, D-4

Q9. India's first Vande Bharat Sleeper trainset, unveiled in 2024, was manufactured at the production complex of which one of the following entities?

  • A. BEML Ltd, Bengaluru
  • B. Integral Coach Factory, Chennai
  • C. Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala
  • D. Modern Coach Factory, Raebareli

Q10. How many Indian States have commercial halts of the first Vande Bharat Sleeper Train running between Howrah and Kamakhya?

  • A. Two
  • B. Three
  • C. Four
  • D. Five

Q11. With reference to the first Vande Bharat Sleeper Train (Howrah–Kamakhya) and the earlier Howrah–New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat (chair-car) Express, consider the following statements: 1. The Howrah–Kamakhya Vande Bharat Sleeper covers a distance of approximately 966 km. 2. The Howrah–Kamakhya Vande Bharat Sleeper has a design speed of 180 kmph. 3. The Howrah–New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express has commercial halts in the State of Jharkhand at Barsoi and Kishanganj. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The Howrah–Kamakhya Vande Bharat Sleeper covers a distance of approximately 966 km.
  2. The Howrah–Kamakhya Vande Bharat Sleeper has a design speed of 180 kmph.
  3. The Howrah–New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express has commercial halts in the State of Jharkhand at Barsoi and Kishanganj.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q12. How many Commissioners of Railway Safety (CRS) function under the Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety, exercising jurisdiction over the Zonal Railways of India?

  • A. 7
  • B. 8
  • C. 9
  • D. 17

Q13. Which one of the following best describes the statutory role of the Commission of Railway Safety (CRS) in India?

  • A. It is the technical research-and-design advisor to the Railway Board for rolling-stock standardisation, functioning under the Ministry of Railways.
  • B. It is the rail safety authority discharging inspectorial, investigatory and advisory functions under the Railways Act, 1989, functioning under the administrative control of the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
  • C. It is the adjudicatory tribunal for compensation claims arising out of railway accidents, established under the Railway Claims Tribunal Act, 1987.
  • D. It is the certification authority for electrification and signalling on Indian Railways, working under the Central Electricity Authority.

Q14. As per recent Ministry of Railways disclosures, on approximately how many Route Kilometres (RKm) has the indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection system 'Kavach' been deployed across South Central Railway and North Central Railway combined?

  • A. 1081 RKm
  • B. 1465 RKm
  • C. 1548 RKm
  • D. 3000 RKm

Q15. Which of the following initiatives is/are NOT part of the Indian Railways' modernization programme?

  1. Kavach (Automatic Train Protection)
  2. Amrit Bharat Station Scheme
  3. Vande Metro / Namo Bharat Rapid Rail
  4. Sagarmala Programme
  • A. 4 only
  • B. 2 and 4
  • C. 1 and 3
  • D. 3 only

Q16. Match List I (Indian Railways / infrastructure modernization milestone) with List II (Year of launch/adoption) and select the correct answer using the code given below:

  • A. A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4
  • B. A-2, B-1, C-3, D-4
  • C. A-1, B-2, C-4, D-3
  • D. A-2, B-1, C-4, D-3

Q17. Under which Union Ministry does BEML Limited, the manufacturer of India's first Vande Bharat Sleeper trainset, function as a Central Public Sector Enterprise?

  • A. Ministry of Railways
  • B. Ministry of Heavy Industries
  • C. Ministry of Defence
  • D. Ministry of Steel

Q18. With reference to BEML Limited, consider the following statements:

  1. It is a Schedule 'A' Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Defence.
  2. It was incorporated in the year 1964.
  3. Its registered headquarters and Rail Coach Complex are located in Mysuru, Karnataka.
  4. It manufactures metro rail cars and holds the largest market share among Indian firms in the metro coach segment.
  • A. 1, 2 and 4
  • B. 1, 3 and 4
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q19. In the context of Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) such as BEML Limited, what does the classification 'Schedule A' specifically denote?

  • A. A CPSE that has been conferred 'Navratna' status by the Department of Public Enterprises
  • B. One of four schedules (A, B, C, D) into which CPSEs are categorised by the Department of Public Enterprises, primarily on the basis of quantitative performance parameters and the critical/strategic importance of the enterprise, with implications mainly for organisational structure and Board-level pay
  • C. A CPSE whose disinvestment has been approved in-principle by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs
  • D. A CPSE that is wholly owned by the Union Government with no equity dilution permitted under SEBI norms