Focusing on proliferation of semi-high speed train services across the country, Indian Railways has firmed up the production plan for 200 Vande Bharat trains worth nearly Rs 24,000 crore with 3,200 Sleeper coaches for 2025-26 and 2026-27.
The Railways has asked its production units — ICF, RCF and MCF — for advance procurement of propulsion system for manufacturing of 200 Vande Bharat trains.
Currently, while the process of manufacturing 102 Vande Bharat trains in 2022-23 are underway, the Railways has already finalised manufacturing 400 rakes of Vande Bharat trains involving 64,000 coaches in the next two years.
According to the office order, all three Railway production units — RCF, MCF and ICF — would be manufacturing 1600 Vande Bharat coaches in 2025-26 and same number of coaches would be produced in 2026-27.
Since the production of current lot of Vande Bharat trains was affected due to the crisis in supply chain involving propulsion system, wheels and other components because of various reasons, the Railways is not taking any chance this time.
ICF Chennai would be manufacturing 800 Vande Bharat coaches in 2025-26 and the same number in 2026-27, the RCF Kapurthala and MCF Raebareli would be manufacturing 400 each in 2025-26 and same number in 2026-27.
ICF would call tenders for these 3200 Vande Bharat coaches shortly.