The chair car trainsets are self-propelling Electric Multiple Units (EMUs) with eight, sixteen or twenty coaches.

A notable feature of Vande Bharat Express is its faster acceleration and deceleration, because of which it went from 0 to 100 km/h in just 52 seconds during trial which is quicker than some high-speed trains.

In 1960, the Railway Board of India commissioned a study to increase the speed of its trains, which was restricted to 96 km/h (60 mph) on the existent broad gauge lines.

[4][5] With the introduction of WAP-1 electric locomotives, Shatabdi Express introduced in 1988, were capable of running at a maximum speed of 130 km/h (81 mph).

[9][10] In December 2009, the Ministry of Railways of Government of India envisaged the implementation of high-speed rail projects to provide services at 250–350 km/h (160–220 mph) with the upgradation of existing tracks, construction of new lines and introduction of high speed trainsets.

[14] In June 2016, Indian Railways sought Requests For Qualification (RFQ) to jointly manufacture five thousand Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) sets with interested international and domestic parties.

[21][22] The train covered a distance of 759 km (472 mi) in 8 hours at an average speed of 95 km/h (59 mph) and reduced the existing travel time along the route by 15%.

[25] In 2019, Indian Railways resumed tenders for the production of new sets with more time provided to come up with the cheapest bid for the upgrades required.

[32][33] Vande Bharat Express uses Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) trainsets manufactured by Integral Coach Factory in Chennai.

[43] The coaches are fully air conditioned and equipped with electric outlets, reading lights, CCTV cameras, automatic doors, bio-vacuum toilets, Sensor-based water taps and Passenger information system.

[45] The service offers onboard catering with both vegetarian and non-vegetarian meal options included in the fare as standard.