Under the ambit of the ‘Make in India’ Mission, Ved Sassomeccanica in Kanpur is all set to manufacture coach frames of Vande Bharat Express trains once again. As per the Union Budget 2022, the government plans to add 400 trains to the existing fleet of India’s first semi-high speed next-generation trains in the next three years. Notably, this is not the first time that this private firm will manufacture the frames for Vande Bharat Coaches, read on to know more.
The only firm in India to manufacture coach frames for Train 18
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Seated at Panki, Ved Sassomeccanica is India’s first and only company that manufactures frames for Vande Bharat coaches. As per reports, Ved Sassomeccanica had manufactured similar frames for Vande Bharat Express trains in December 2019. So far, the firm has built around 178 coach frames for these semi-high speed trains that are also called Train 18.
Coach frames are the components that make the foundation of these coaches. According to experts, 6,400 coaches will be built for the 400 Vande Bharat trains that are likely to come up by 2025. For these coaches, a total of 12,800 frames will be manufactured as well.
Keeping in mind the government’s plan of expanding the fleet of these next-gen trains, the officials of Ved Sassomeccanica claimed that the plant is ready to start with the manufacturing work.
World-class coach frame built with a budget of ₹97 crores
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Notably, the coaches in Vande Bharat were reportedly built with a budget of ₹97 crores which is almost three times cheaper than the estimated international cost. The firm deploys Japanese robotic welding machines to manufacture these high-tech coach frames.
Moreover, the company also claims to have used the world’s best CNC machines imported from Taiwan for this project. Impressed with the quality of trains built at such low prices, more than 12 countries had contacted the firm for such projects. Reportedly, Ved Sassomeccanica has exported such frames to Italy in the past.
Apart from this, this private locomotive manufacturing firm is also constructing modern metro coaches as well. Recently, the company had handed over coaches for Pune Metro while the order placed by the Delhi Metro is in its final leg of manufacturing.
