Indian Railways is aiming to roll out 75 new Vande Bharat trains by August 15, 2023. They have projected a target to manufacture seven to eight trains every month, for which the government body has passed instructions to the Integral Coach Facility in Chennai.
Furthermore, the Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw also visited ICF, Chennai a few weeks ago to monitor the manufacturing operations of the Vande Bharat trains.
More upgrades underway
Earlier this year, the Indian Railways also rolled out a plan for the upgradation of electrical power lines from 1×25 KV traction system to 2×25 KV traction system for smooth operations of new trains including the upcoming Vande Bharat trains.
Reportedly, new technological upgrades have also been introduced in the manufacturing of Vande Bharat trains. Moreover, the fully-assembled units will be examined and tested by the R&D wing of the Railway, Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) in Lucknow, after which they will be commissioned on tracks.
Keeping all the factors in mind, ICF has planned to manufacture around 10 trains every month in order to cope with the deadline.
Notably, two more manufacturing units, including the Rail Coach Factory in Kapurthala and Modern Coach Factory in Rae Bareli will also be working on the manufacturing of Vande Bharat trains to meet the target of 400 trains in the 3 years.
