Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has entered the race for a mega ₹58,000 crore contract to manufacture and maintain as many as 200 Vande Bharat trains for the next 235 years.
The Vande Bharat Express (Image only for representation)
To this end, tbe central public sector undertaking has formed a consortium with Titagarh Wagons, a Kolkata-based railway wagon manufacturer. Also, with BHEL's entry, as many as five entities are in the fray to win the contract. The other four are: French railway major Alstom; Medha-Stadler (consortium between Switzerland's Stadler Rail, and Hyderabad-based Media Servo Dives); Germany's Siemens, and Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML); and Russia's Transmashholding which has partnered with an unnamed Indian firm.
Meanwhile, the ₹58,000 crore deal is divided into two parts: a ₹26,000 crore upfront payment on the delivery of the trains, while the rest ₹32,000 crore will be paid to the bid winner over a period of 35 years, for the maintenance of these trains.
The bids will open within the next forty-five days. According to the tender document, the winner will have twenty-four months to produce a prototype of the sleeper class of Vande Bharat trains; the Indian Railways is targeting to roll out the first Vande Bharat with a sleeper class by the first quarter of 2024. At present, these have only chair cars.
A semi-high-speed, electrical multiple unit (EMU) operated by the Railways, Vande Bharat began its journey in February 2019, when the first train – between New Delhi and Varanasi – was launched. Subsequently, services commenced on four other routes : New Delhi-Katra (October 2019), Mumbai Central- Gandhinagar (September 2022), New Delhi-Amb Andaura (October 2022), and Chennai Central-Mysuru (November 2022).
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Home/Business/BHEL to bid for ₹58k crore contract for Vande Bharat trains
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