Bharat Heavy Electricals Restricted (BHEL) has entered the race for a mega ₹58,000 crore contract to fabricate and preserve as many as 200 Vande Bharat trains for the subsequent 235 years.
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To this finish, tbe central public sector endeavor has fashioned a consortium with Titagarh Wagons, a Kolkata-based railway wagon producer. Additionally, with BHEL’s entry, as many as 5 entities are within the fray to win the contract. The opposite 4 are: French railway main Alstom; Medha-Stadler (consortium between Switzerland’s Stadler Rail, and Hyderabad-based Media Servo Dives); Germany’s Siemens, and Bharat Earth Movers Restricted (BEML); and Russia’s Transmashholding which has partnered with an unnamed Indian agency.
In the meantime, the ₹58,000 crore deal is split into two elements: a ₹26,000 crore upfront cost on the supply of the trains, whereas the remaining ₹32,000 crore shall be paid to the bid winner over a interval of 35 years, for the upkeep of those trains.
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The bids will open inside the subsequent forty-five days. In accordance with the tender doc, the winner could have twenty-four months to supply a prototype of the sleeper class of Vande Bharat trains; the Indian Railways is focusing on to roll out the primary Vande Bharat with a sleeper class by the primary quarter of 2024. At current, these have solely chair vehicles.
A semi-high-speed, electrical a number of unit (EMU) operated by the Railways, Vande Bharat started its journey in February 2019, when the primary prepare – between New Delhi and Varanasi – was launched. Subsequently, companies commenced on 4 different routes : New Delhi-Katra (October 2019), Mumbai Central- Gandhinagar (September 2022), New Delhi-Amb Andaura (October 2022), and Chennai Central-Mysuru (November 2022).
Extra such companies are within the pipeline.
(With PTI inputs)