The first electric multiple unit (EMU) technology in India was introduced in Mumbai as a suburban railway service on 3 February 1925.

[13] With an increase in demand post-independence, India began to import EMUs from Europe and Japan, before it could manufacture indigenously.

This is regarded as a major leap in the Indian railway industry as they became the earliest precursors to Vande Bharat technology.

EMUs for longer distances were conceived on the long-distance main lines, which led to the development of mainline electric multiple units (MEMU).

With the advantages of faster acceleration-deceleration, presence of driver cabins at both ends, being energy efficient with regenerative braking, encouraged Indian Railways to develop MEMUs for distances beyond the suburban belt.

[18] During the same period, Indian Railways had introduced Gatimaan and Tejas services that enhanced comfort with their modern LHB coaches.

As the next step, Indian Railways at ICF headed by general manager Sudhanshu Mani, started designing a new EMU trainset that was set to be developed at half the imported cost.

They were designed to be fully air-conditioned and equipped with automatic doors, onboard Wi-Fi, and infotainment and many other modern facilities.

[25][26] Train 18 was renamed as 'Vande Bharat Express' as an acknowledgement for the fact that it was completely built in India by Indian engineers.

However, they wished to provide more time so that the manufacturers could come up with the cheapest bid and because the train would require a major upgrade from scratch, as per one railway official.

[34] In January 2021, Indian Railways awarded a ₹22.11 billion (equivalent to ₹25 billion or US$290 million in 2023) contract to Hyderabad-based Medha Servo Drives to manufacture 44 second generation Vande Bharat trainsets, in accordance with the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative that required 75% of the components to be locally sourced.

[38][39] Indian Railways later sought Steel Authority of India (SAIL) and Rashtriya Ispat Nigam (RINL) to manufacture the wheels.

[47] The Union Minister of Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw, said that 25 improvements have been incorporated into the trains, including anti-climbing devices.

[48] As part of the "Make in India" initiative, the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) created and produced the Vande Bharat Express.

[51][52] The exterior of the first version of Vande Bharat Express had an aerodynamic design that helped to reduce air resistance at high speeds.

[42][60] Among the imported components were the wheels, seats, doors, braking system, transformers, and electronic parts such as processing chips.

[66][67][68] The new rolling stock features four emergency windows, disaster lights in all coaches in the event of lighting system failure, fire survival cables within door circuits, ventilation for three hours in the event that the air conditioner loses power, and four additional emergency push buttons per coach.

An official added that the new coaches would be provided with a bacteria-free air conditioning system and higher flood protection for electrical equipment to ensure reliability during monsoons up to 650 mm (26 in).

[63][64] On 24 September 2023, 9 new Vande Bharat Express trains were flagged off which include upgraded features for passenger comfort after feedback.

[71] The rake formations of all the operational versions of the train are given below:[72] The following EMU trainsets which are influenced by the Vande Bharat are currently in the preliminary stages of design and will be introduced in the near future.

[75] The estimate includes the cost of upgrading infrastructure at either the Marathwada Rail Coach Factory in Latur or ICF where the train is planned to be manufactured.

[86] After the train's inauguration, Indian Railways reportedly received queries of interest from some countries in Southeast Asia and South America.

[90] Indian Railways is constructing a 59 km (37 mi) long dedicated standard gauge track between Gudha and Thathana Mithri in the Jodhpur Division to conduct trial runs at speeds of up to 220 km/h (140 mph).