Indian Railways to invest ₹130 crores to boost production of 75 new Vande Bharat Trains

New Delhi, India (Urban Transport News): Indian Railways (IR) is planning to invest Rs 130 crore in the capacity enhancement of manufacturing units to increase the production of Vande Bharat trains to meet its deadline to roll out 75 trains on the IR network by August 2023. This will ensure the manufacturing of six such trains every month compared to the current capacity of four trains, said officials.

In his recent visit to Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Railway Minister said that Indian Railways is committed to making 75 Vande Bharat trains by August 2022. He said that different regions will be connected with these trains.

The Railway Board is currently working on the detailed preparations for identifying and setting up depots for Vande Bharat Trains, which need special maintenance and care. These trains are likely to be operated in regions including Delhi, Lucknow, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Pune, Guwahati, Tirupati, Chennai and Bhopal.

"The first two prototypes of second-generation Vande Bharat trains are planned to be rolled out by August 2022. Subsequently, 4-5 rakes would be rolled out every month to meet the requirement. The Indian Railways (IR) is also set to invite bids for 6,000 wheels for these trains, which will be manufactured in the next few months. The US and China are being considered as prime sources to meet the requirement. For mid and long-term requirements, the IR has roped in Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) and the Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (RINL) to manufacture wheels for these trains," said Union Railway Minister.

Recently, Indian Railways issued an order to a Chinese firm for the supply of 39,000 wheels for Vande Bharat Trains after deliveries from the other countries got affected due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Apart from this, IR recently floated a global tender for the manufacturing and supply of 200 sleeper versions of Vande Bharat Trains.