Indian Railway has launched tenders inviting major rolling stock players to manufacture 200 Vande Bharat trains with AC sleeper facilities at a cost of Rs 26,000 crore, in order to meet budget obligations.
Currently, two indigenized semi-high speed Vande Bharat trainsets are operational, with 102 Vande Bharat trains with seating capacity having been given contracts by the railways.
In the budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman declared that the Indian railway would purchase 400 more Vande Bharat trains with updated facilities in order to give better comfort and passenger amenities.
Indian railway launched tenders for manufacturing AC sleeper
The Indian railways launched tenders for manufacturing AC sleeper 200 Vande Bharat trains with AC sleeper amenities after finalizing the tender documents, which contain the design, manufacture-cum-maintenance provisions of the AC sleeper trains.
While each rake with 16 coaches is expected to cost Rs 130 crore, the prospective bidder must deposit Rs 20 crore as earnest money in order to participate in the auction.
Because there is a stipulation for lifelong maintenance and a detailed annual maintenance contract, the winning bidder must maintain the train once it is manufactured.
The new generation train with modern facilities will be manufactured at the Marathwada Rail Coach Factory in Latur or the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai, with operation and maintenance to meet the requirements of train manufacturing, testing, commissioning, and supply, as well as up-gradation of existing infrastructure/facilities.
Bidders for the Version-3 Vande Bharat Express would have the option of choosing between aluminum and steel coaches, according to the railways. The forthcoming 200 Vande Bharat service will have AC-1, AC-2, and AC-3 classes.
However, even if the maker chooses steel, it must be lighter than the previous one, as specifications are being developed for lighter weight bogies, transformers, and motors, among other things, thanks to modern technology.
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