NEW DELHI (Metro Rail News): In a significant step forward, the ambitious Vande Bharat Trains project, equipped with sleeper facilities, has gained momentum as Russian rolling-stock giant TMH (Transmashholding) has submitted a performance bank guarantee (PBG) of Rs 200 Crore to the Indian Railways. This development paves the way for the railways to finalize a manufacturing cum maintenance agreement with TMH, which will serve as the technology partner responsible for producing 120 of these advanced trains.
The primary objective is to unveil the inaugural prototype of the Vande Bharat sleeper train by the upcoming March, strategically timed just months before the Lok Sabha Polls. The Russian major TMH, has established a joint venture in collaboration with the railway Public Sector Undertaking (PSU), RVNL (Rail Vikas Nigam Limited). Also, an alternative consortium comprising the central PSU, Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL), and Titagarh Wagons (TWL) has secured the contract for manufacturing 80 Vande Bharat trainsets. It is anticipated that this consortium will oversee the production of the initial train batch.
The newly designed trains are expected to cover long-distance and overnight journeys. It could possibly be deployed on Rajdhani routes. Meeting the terms stipulated in the tender, the special purpose vehicle (SPV) established by TMH and RVNL will oversee the production of 120 Vande Bharat sleeper trainsets within the prescribed timeline. Furthermore, the SPV will also be responsible for managing maintenance services for an extended period of 35 years.
