The first lot of over 40 wheels for Vande Bharat train would reach Chennai airport on 12 May as the government has resolved the issue arising out of the Ukraine crisis.
There are total 128 wheels for the newer version of 16-coach Vande Bharat train to be airlifted from Romania to Chennai. The Integral Coach Factory in Chennai is manufacturing Vande Bharat train.
Beginning 12 May, the air cargo operation carrying wheels would continue for three days, said a senior Railway Ministry official adding the wheels are being transported to Romania.
Since It was not possible to carry all 128 wheels at a time in air cargo, the transportation would be carried over three days, said the official.
The shipment of wheels from Ukraine was affected due to the war and as a result the roll out of the first prototype train also got delayed. While it would have taken about a month for the shipment of wheels to Chennai, it would be about 7 hours in air cargo from Ukraine.
According to the Railways, one wheel of Vande Bharat is estimated to cost about Rs 80,000.
Now with the issue being resolved, the Vande Bharat prototype would be ready by July for the trial run. The trial run including the safety clearance is expected to be completed in two months.
The inaugural run of the next generation Vande Bharat Express is slated to be in September this year.
The Railways has planned to run Vande Bharat trains on Shatabdi and Intercity routes.