 "Vande Bharat Express")
A consortium led by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (Bhel) and Titagarh Rail Systems Limited (TRSL) on Thursday signed a contract for the manufacturing and supply of 80 fully assembled Vande Bharat sleeper train sets by 2029 and their maintenance for 35 years.
This is the first time Indian Railways has awarded a contract of this value to an Indian consortium for the design and manufacturing of complete train sets and maintenance for 35 years. The estimated value of the contract is Rs 24,000 crore (excluding GST).
“The Vande Bharat trains represent a significant advancement for Indian Railways under the Make in India programme launched by the government. The BHEL-TRSL consortium was the only AatmaNirbhar consortium that participated in the tender process, subsequently being awarded the project”, the company said in a statement.
“We are committed to becoming a modest contributor to the Prime Minister's AatmaNirbhar vision. Vande Bharat trains have revolutionized the way we travel, and we are proud to be a part of the government’s Make in India initiative,” said Titagarh Rail Systems Limited (TRSL), vice chairman and managing director Umesh Chowdhary.
“Our focus on adopting the latest technology to boost our engineering prowess will help us build state-of-the-art railway trainsets, at par with global standards,” he added.
“The order shall be executed over a span of six years, wherein the first prototype shall be delivered within a two-year timeframe, after which the remaining deliveries will take place,” Umesh Chowdhary added.
The final assembly, testing and commissioning of the Vande Bharat sleeper trains will be done at the Indian Railway’s facilities in Chennai. There will be 16 coaches in each train, with an approximate capacity to accommodate more than 880 passengers in total. The trains will be running upto speeds of 160 kilometres per hour (kmph).
