Railways to roll out 10 Vande Bharat trains connecting 40 cities
20 Jul 2021
2 Min Read
CW Team
The Indian Railways plans to roll out at least 10 new semi-high speed Vande Bharat Express trains, linking around 40 cities, to honour 75 years of Independence of India by August 2022.
An engineering company, Medha, was given the contract to provide the electrical systems for 44 Vande Bharat train sets in February.
Now, it has told the railway authorities to improve its production plan so that by March 2022, at least the rolling out of two prototype trains can be done, following every trial run.
According to the media sources, there is a contract condition that apart from all required testing and trials to pass a Vande Bharat train set, the prototype should also finish commercial operation of 1 lakh km with passengers before production of the lot.
As per the officials' estimations, if all three manufacturing units are put for utilisation, the national transporter can produce nearly 67 Vande Bharat train sets.
A Vande Bharat train, a self-propelled train set, has 16 coaches, and it does not need an engine to operate. It is known as the distributed traction power, which is now becoming the norm over the world.
Running by the distributed power mechanism, the train is a semi-high speed train set of India. It has quicker acceleration and deceleration and benefits to have a higher average speed despite halts.
Currently, only two Vande Bharat trains are running between Delhi-Katra and Delhi-Varanasi. The plan is to prepare as many as 100 such train sets. The entire cost to produce 100 Vande Bharat trains, with 16 coaches each, would be about Rs 11,000 crore.
The Ministry of Railway鈥檚 plan is to get maximum Vande Bharat Express trains operational by 2024.
By using the three manufacturing parts of Indian Railways- Integral Coach Factory in Chennai, Modern Coach Factory in Raebareli, and Rail Coach Factory in Kapurthala.
Also read: Vande Bharat must make most procurement locally
Also read: Indian Railways plans 100% indigenous coach manufacturing by 2022
The Indian Railways plans to roll out at least 10 new semi-high speed Vande Bharat Express trains, linking around 40 cities, to honour 75 years of Independence of India by August 2022.
An engineering company, Medha, was given the contract to provide the electrical systems for 44 Vande Bharat train sets in February.
Now, it has told the railway authorities to improve its production plan so that by March 2022, at least the rolling out of two prototype trains can be done, following every trial run.
According to the media sources, there is a contract condition that apart from all required testing and trials to pass a Vande Bharat train set, the prototype should also finish commercial operation of 1 lakh km with passengers before production of the lot.
As per the officials' estimations, if all three manufacturing units are put for utilisation, the national transporter can produce nearly 67 Vande Bharat train sets.
A Vande Bharat train, a self-propelled train set, has 16 coaches, and it does not need an engine to operate. It is known as the distributed traction power, which is now becoming the norm over the world.
Running by the distributed power mechanism, the train is a semi-high speed train set of India. It has quicker acceleration and deceleration and benefits to have a higher average speed despite halts.
Currently, only two Vande Bharat trains are running between Delhi-Katra and Delhi-Varanasi. The plan is to prepare as many as 100 such train sets. The entire cost to produce 100 Vande Bharat trains, with 16 coaches each, would be about Rs 11,000 crore.
The Ministry of Railway鈥檚 plan is to get maximum Vande Bharat Express trains operational by 2024.
By using the three manufacturing parts of Indian Railways- Integral Coach Factory in Chennai, Modern Coach Factory in Raebareli, and Rail Coach Factory in Kapurthala.
Image Source
Also read: Vande Bharat must make most procurement locally
Also read: Indian Railways plans 100% indigenous coach manufacturing by 2022
Next Story
Lack of Bidders Stalls VOC Port鈥檚 Rs 70.56 Bn Harbour Project Again
The VOC Port Authority鈥檚 Rs 70.56 billion outer harbour project has once again faced a setback, with the latest tender process cancelled due to the absence of qualified bidders. This marks the second failed attempt to secure participation for the mega infrastructure initiative.The tender has reportedly been withdrawn from the active list of bids, and the authority is now expected to re-evaluate and possibly restructure the project to enhance its appeal to potential developers.The port authority had initially floated the Request for Proposal (RFP) in December 2024, following the cancellation ..
Next Story
Sea Lord Containers Opens Cryogenic LPG Terminal in Mangalore
Sea Lord Containers (SCL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Aegis Logistics, has commissioned a new cryogenic Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) terminal in Mangalore. The facility, which became operational on 12 June 2025, offers a static storage capacity of 82,000 metric tons (MT), significantly strengthening the region鈥檚 LPG logistics infrastructure.The terminal was developed by SCL on behalf of Aegis Vopak Terminals, an associate company of Aegis Logistics. The asset is expected to be transferred to Aegis Vopak Terminals Limited at a later date, with formal updates to be shared separately with st..
Next Story
Cochin Port and Oil India Partner for Offshore Exploration Support
The Cochin Port Authority (CoPA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Oil India (OIL) to establish a shore base facility supporting offshore oil exploration in the Kerala-Konkan Basin. The agreement was formalised at a ceremony held at CoPA, Willingdon Island, on 12 June 2025, in the presence of senior officials from both organisations.Under the partnership, Cochin Port will provide critical logistics infrastructure for OIL鈥檚 offshore drilling operations, expected to begin later in 2025. The planned shore base will include a dedicated warehouse, dry bulk handling plant, and an..
