Explained: Government's Plan To Run 400 New Vande Bharat Trains

In the Union Budget for 2022-2023, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposed that 400 new Vande Bharat trains be developed and manufactured over the next three years.

Ms. Sitharaman stated in her address that they will be "new generation" trains that would have improved energy efficiency and passenger comfort. It comes on top of the current plan, which calls for 75 Vande Bharats to be operational across India by the year 2023.

What exactly is it?

Since the launch of Rajdhani trains, the Vande Bharat train has been hailed as the next great leap for Indian Railways in terms of speed and passenger convenience.

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These trains, originally called Train 18, during development, run without a locomotive and are propelled by a mechanism known as distributed traction power technology, which provides electricity to each car in the train set.

Passengers will enjoy on-board WiFi entertainment, a GPS-based passenger information system, CCTVs, automated doors in all coaches, spinning chairs, and bio-vacuum type restrooms similar to those seen in aeroplanes on the Vande Bharat coaches.

The Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai produced the first Vande Bharat in roughly 18 months as part of the 'Make in India' programme, at a cost of over 100 crore.

The train's present configuration has 16 coaches, 14 regular chair cars, and two executive class chair cars. The train has a passenger capacity of around 1,100 passengers. Due to faster acceleration and deceleration, it can reach a top speed of 160 kmph, cutting travel time by 25% to 45 per cent.

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It also features an advanced braking system with power regeneration for improved energy efficiency, saving money, energy, and the environment. The Vande Bharat was India's first attempt at train set technology, as opposed to traditional passenger coach systems pulled by separate engines.

According to the Indian railways, the train set layout is faster, easier to maintain, uses less energy, and allows for more flexibility in train operation, despite its complexity.

Is there a Vande Bharat train in service right now?

Two Vande Bharat Express trains are currently running, one between New Delhi and Varanasi and the other between New Delhi and Katra. Following this, the Railways awarded a contract for over 2,000 crores to build 44 additional trains of this type.

The first tender, however, was cancelled and reopened in order to comply with the government's "Make in India" strategy. For the first time, the tender stipulated that a minimum of 75% of the entire tender value be made up of local content. Medha Servo Drives Ltd., based in Hyderabad, was awarded the contract to design and manufacture the propulsion, control, and other equipment for the 44 train sets in August 2020.

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The rakes, or train sets, would be produced at three of the Railways' production facilities: 24 rakes at the ICF in Chennai, and 10 rakes each at the RCF in Kapurthala and the Modern Coach Factory in Raebareli.

The Railways had stated that the first two prototype rakes would be delivered in 20 months (by March-April 2022), and that upon successful commissioning, the company would produce an average of six rakes per quarter.

Train sets are in the making

From May this year, forty-four new Vande Bharat train sets will be delivered, with the propulsion designed by Hyderabad-based Medha Servo Drive. The first will go through testing and trials in May, while the second will go through them in June, the Railways Ministry said.

From August to September, ICF Chennai, MCF Rae Bareli, and RCF Kapurthala would build 5-7 train sets each month in three production units. Better seating, an antibacterial air conditioning system, reduced noise, the ability to reach 160 km/h in 140 seconds, and other features will be available on these trains.

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Tenders were issued for the following batch of 58 trains, and Medha, Siemens, BHEL, Titagar Wagons, and Bombardier were among the nine companies nominated. Work is underway to introduce sleeper-style Vande Bharats for overnight journeys, which will replace the current seating-only configuration. These batches may contain them.

What would be the estimated cost?

Based on the cost of current train sets, the Finance Minister's announcement of 400 train sets represents a possible investment of Rs 50,000 crore over the next three years.

At current price, a Vande Bharat train set of 16 cars costs Rs 106 crore. Because of differences in specification as well as inflation, future ones will be slightly more expensive.

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Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has described the Budget statement as a "new aim" and stated that they will be an upgrade. "Like mobile phones that are launched are an upgrade from their previous versions, the subsequent Vande Bharats will also be upgrades," he said.

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