First Vande Bharat train could still be months away: Sources

It has been reliably learnt that the premier coaching factory, which set March-April 2022 deadline to roll out the third prototype, has been hamstrung by logistical difficulties and delays in the supply of raw materials. Highly placed ICF sources said the tenders were finalised in mid-2021, but the pandemic impacted raw material supply.

Only one major supplier from Hyderabad provides the components for the Underslung Propulsion System, which is the heart of the train.

The main raw material supplier suspended production after the project was put on hold a little less than a couple of years ago. The tender was awarded to the company again after last year’s announcement by the PM, the source said, adding the third prototype would have minor internal technical upgrades like change in electrical wiring and safety features.

On producing 400 trains sets in three years, a highly placed ICF officer said, “It is a normal AC chair car without the underslung propulsion system. Producing the coach is very easy if the engine part is addressed. As soon as we roll out the prototype and get RDSO approval, we can share technology with coaching units in Kapurthala and Rae Bareli. Together, manufacturing 400 sets in three years is very easy.”

Sudhanshu Mani, former ICF general manager who led the Train 18 project, said, “It is extremely gratifying to learn that the government has announced that 400 of these trains would be rolled out in the next three years. As the creator of the train, it is a moment of great pride for me and the team that built the first rakes in 2018-19. It is also a vindication for me and the team as the project had been dragged into an unnecessary controversy since 2019 and things improved after the new rail minister took over.”