Catering to the growing demand for semi-high-speed train, all Vande Bharat trains will be rolled out now as eight-coach rake from ICF Chennai.
This move comes as Indian Railways has decided to ramp up the number of semi-high-speed train and launch the service across the country to cater to the demand.
Barring one 16-coach train for which the production is nearing completion, the ICF will now manufacture eight-coach Vande Bharat trains only, a senior ICF official said.
Currently, two Vande Bharat trains with eight-coach each are operational while the third eight-coach is ready to be pressed into service in Guwahati-New Jalpaiguri section.
The fourth eight-coach Vande Bharat is also nearing completion and expected to be ready this month, ICF maintains.
As per the ICF production plan, there will be total 64 Vande Bharat rakes with eight-coach each train to be manufactured at the facility out of which two have already rolled out and two are almost ready.
Till now total 15 Vande Bharat trains are operational and the 16th is slated to be operational between Puri and Howrah and the 17th will be running in the North East region in May.
However, there is a strong possibility of running another Vande Bharat train connecting coastal Odisha with Western Odisha.
Similarly, an eight-coach Vande Bharat train is likely to be launched in Uttar Pradesh from Gorakhpur to connect Lucknow.
Though there is a Vande Bharat operational for Bhopal now, there is a demand for another Vande Bharat for Indore section.
We have received requests and representations from public representatives all over the country for running Vande Bharat train in their respective regions and our plan is to cater to the popular demands, said a senior railway official.
The railways has a target of producing 75 Vande Bharat trains by 15 August this year.