NEW DELHI (Metro Rail News): On 14 June 2023, Indian Railways awarded a contract to the consortium of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) and Titagarh Rail Systems Limited (TRSL) for the manufacturing and supply of 80 fully assembled Vande Bharat sleeper train sets by the year 2029 and their maintenance for 35 years at the cost of Rs.24, 000 crore (excluding GST).
The BHEL-TRSL consortium was the only AatmaNirbhar consortium participating in the tender process, lately being awarded the project.
Following the Contract, Umesh Chowdhary, Vice Chairman & Managing Director of Titagarh Rail Systems Limited (TRSL), stated that the company is dedicated to becoming a modest contributor to the Prime Minister’s AatmaNirbhar goal. The Vande Bharat trains have transformed how we travel, and we are pleased to support the government’s Make in India initiative. We will be able to produce cutting-edge railway trainsets on par with international standards thanks to our focus on embracing the most recent technologies to strengthen our engineering progress.
He further stated that the order should be carried out over a period of six years, with the prototype being delivered within the first two years, followed by the rest of the deliveries.
The Vande Bharat sleeper trains will be assembled, tested, and commissioned at the Indian Railways’ Chennai facilities. Each train will have 16 carriages, each of which can hold more than 880 passengers. The trains will travel at up to 160 kph (kmph).
