As many as six companies — state-owned Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL), Bharat Industries, Electrowaves Electronics, Medha Servo Drives, Powernetics Equipment and CRRC Pioneer Electric — have submitted bids for semi-high speed Train18 or Vande Bharat train sets, railway ministry official said on Friday.
Of these six companies, CRRC Electric India Pvt Ltd is only company with foreign roots to show interest. The company is a joint venture between China-based CRRC Yongji Electric Co and Gurugram-based Pioneer Fil-Med Pvt Ltd.
“We have got bids from six players for the train set tender,” railway board chairman Vinod Kumar Yadav said on Friday.
The first New Delhi-Varanasi semi-high speed Vande Bharat Express, popularly known as Train 18 was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February, 2019. Later during the, another New Delhi-Katra Vande Bharat Express launched as part of Modi’s ‘Make in India’ vision.
These semi-high-speed trains can run at a maximum of 160 kmph, are electrically-operated, and have automatic sliding doors similar to those in metro coaches. Built at a cost of ₹100 crore, it has luxurious air-conditioned chair car service in 16 compartments and two first class coaches.
The train is an indigenous electric multiple unit manufactured by the Chennai-based integral coach factory (ICF).
This current tender was floated in December last year by ICF and was opened on Friday. It is the third such tender floated for these trains.
A railway ministry official said it may take at least two-and-a-half year for the next Train 18 to be manufactured. The railway minister has planned to produce 160 coaches in 2019-20, 240 coaches in 2020-21 and 240 coaches in 2021-22 at the ICF.