Vande Bharat sleeper trains: In another welcome move for the Indian Railway passengers, a consortium of Titagarh Rail Systems Ltd (TRSL) and state-owned Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) has inked a contract with Railways for manufacturing 80 Vande Bharat sleeper trains.
"Titagarh Rail Systems Ltd and Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd consortium inks a contract with Indian Railways for manufacturing 80 Vande Bharat sleeper train sets by 2029. The estimated value of the contract is Rs 24,000 crore," the companies said in a joint statement.
This is the first time Indian Railways has awarded a contract of this value to an Indian consortium for design and manufacturing of complete train sets and maintenance for 35 years, it added.
The TRSL-BHEL consortium was the only AatmaNirbhar consortium that participated in the tender process.
"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," they said.
"The order shall be carried out 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," TRSL Vice Chairman & MD Umesh Chowdhary said.
The final assembly, testing and commissioning of the Vande Bharat sleeper trains will be done at the Indian Railway's facilities in Chennai.
Vande Bharat sleeper trains | Key highlights
- There will be 16 coaches in each train, with an approximate capacity to accommodate 887 passengers in total, the statement said.
- The train will be designed to achieve speeds of 160 kilometres per hour (kmph).
(With inputs from PTI)
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