Plan to build 120 Vande Bharat trains moving fast: Rail panel member

The plan to make 200 advanced Vande Bharat trains, including a major portion in Marathwada Rail Coach Factory in Latur in Maharashtra, has taken a decisive step with the lowest and second lowest bidders being chosen in a Rs 58000-crore tender, an official said on Friday.

Rail Advisory Committee member Shamsundar Mandhana said 120 of these rakes, or a total of 1,920 coaches, will be made in Latur and the rest in Integral Coach Factory in Chennai.

He said Latur Lok Sabha MP Sudhakar Shrangare was making efforts to ensure work on these state-of-the-art 16-coach rakes begin here as quickly as possible.

The Railway ministry had announced a couple of days ago that a consortium of Russia's CJSC Transmashholding and Indian PSU Rail Vikas Nigam Limited was the lowest bidder, followed by state-run Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) and private rake manufacturer Titagarh Wagons.

Of the Rs 58000 crore earmarked for the project, Rs 26,000 crore will be upfront payment for the delivery of the trains, while the Rs 32,000 crore will be paid for maintaining the trains over a 35-year period.