CHENNAI (Metro Rail News): Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw visited Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai and inspected Vande Bharat trains. After examining, he handed over the trains to Railway’s R&D division, the Lucknow-based Research Designs and Standards Organization (RDSO). The RDSO will now inspect the trains. After due scrutiny the new train sets shall get safety clearance for operations and run on track.
The Indian Railways hopes to operate 75 brand-new Vande Bharat trains by 15th August next year. In order to achieve the railway’s goal of having seven to eight trains available each month the construction of these trains has been expedited. However, looking at the pace it appears that the rolling of the trains may be delayed. IANS made unsuccessful attempts to contact Railway officials and the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai over the project’s apparent delay.
Every new Vande Bharat train has some new technology and upgrades, according to Indian Railways, which gradually raises the cost as well. A 16-coach Vande Bharat train’s building cost has increased from its initial estimate of 106 crores to between Rs 110 and Rs 120 crore. The ICF intends to manufacture about 10 trains every month. The Rail Coach Factory in Kapurthala and the Modern Coach Factory in Rae Bareli will also begin manufacturing the coaches to reach the goal of 400 Vande Bharat trains in next three years.
It was decided to create Vande Bharat along the lines of Make in India, but despite spending millions of dollars, Vande Bharat has not yet garnered the momentum that was anticipated. It is claimed that the tendering process is halted frequently.
