New Delhi: The delivery of Vande Bharat sleeper trains to the Indian Railways may experience delays on account of a lack of finality over changes in the train’s design, its length as well as the maintenance contract, according to people familiar with the matter. The Indian Railways awarded a Rs 60,000 crore tender for the manufacturing of Vande Bharat Sleeper trains.
Contract for the train’s supply and maintenance was awarded to a consortium of BHEL and Titagarh Rail Systems together with Kinet Railway Solutions in the middle of 2023.
However, work on the train prototype is also yet to take off owing to the above delays, said the people cited above. According to the contract, the Indian Railways is seeking 24-coach Vande Bharat sleeper trains. It includes provisions for 12- and 16-coach variants without any cost implications, said a senior official familiar with the matter.
Vande Bharat Sleeper train contract details
While Russian JV Kinet Railway Solutions was awarded a Rs 120 crore per train contract for 120 Vande Bharat Sleeper trains the BHEL-TRS consortium secured an order for 80 trains at the same price. Kinet Railway Solutions is currently in discussions with the Indian Railways, the ET reported, citing a spokesperson for the JV.
To be sure, a separate contract on a nomination basis was awarded to BEML and Integral Coach Factory Chennai for 10 trains. The consortium showcased some coaches in September 2024. The first batch from this contract is expected to be rolled out later in 2024 on a commercial basis, the ET reported.
The talks are centred on agreement over the scope of changes to the train’s design which will result in a new production timeline. Kinet is committed to delivering the contract in full, the ET reported, citing the spokesperson. There was no response to requests for queries from the BHEL-TRS consortium, the ET reported.
Vande Bharat Sleeper Trains may face a delayed delivery to the Indian Railways since the production companies are finalising revisions to the contract, said people familiar with the matter. Biz News Business News – Personal Finance News, Share Market News, BSE/NSE News, Stock Exchange News Today
