Train 18

The Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai has floated the tender and the date of opening of tenders will be November 11

As part of Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative, increase in indigenous content from the present level of 50 per cent to a higher level is being planned in the fresh rounds

CRRC Corporation is a Chinese state-owned rolling stock manufacturer

Alstom, Siemens, Bombardier & CAF may take part in bidding

The Vande Bharat Express, also known as Train 18, boasts a host of features, including plastic-bottle crusher machines, a spacious pantry with a deep freezer, revolving seats and cattle guard

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will flag off the Vande Bharat Express at the New Delhi Railway Station

The high speed train, which currently offers only chair car service, will bring down the travel time between Delhi and Katra

Train 18 - named for the year of its launch -was India's first semi-high speed train

Two consecutive bulk tenders for the propulsion systems of Train 18 got cancelled recently, citing technical reasons

The primary reason behind this move is to provide a level-playing field to all suppliers in the making of the flagship train

Rajesh Agrawal said that ICF would roll out 40 Vande Bharat Express train sets in the future

The statement said the technical staff on board the train assessed the damages and after careful careful examination the train was found fit to run

After the first incident of stone throwing, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) had started campaigns across the areas where such cases were reported

According to officials, the Vande Bharat Express is 121 per cent booked for Tuesday, 112 per cent for Wednesday, 109 per cent for Friday and 114 per cent for Saturday

The delay took place a day after the train broke down on its way back to the capital from Varanasi following its inaugural non-commercial journey

Train 18, which was recently rechristened Vande Bharat Express, had left Varanasi Junction for Delhi at 10:30 pm Friday, nearly 45 minutes after reaching the holy city on its inaugural journey

The breakdown happened almost 18 hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Train 18 on Friday evening

The first incident occurred around 15 kilometres from Tundla junction in Uttar Pradesh, with officials calling it a case of 'skidding wheels'

On its first commercial run on Sunday, the train will leave the national capital at 6 am and reach Varanasi at 2 pm

The semi-high speed train is scheduled to be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 15.