 "Bullet train, train, railway")
The trainsets will be built at BEML’s Bengaluru rail coach complex and are scheduled for delivery by the end of 2026
State-owned BEML has been awarded a contract for the design, manufacturing, and commissioning of two high-speed trainsets, valued at Rs 867 crore, the company said.
The contract was awarded by the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai. Business Standard had reported on June 6 that the ministry of railways had instructed the trainmaker to build two high-speed trainsets capable of reaching speeds of up to 250 kilometres per hour.
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“The price of each car is Rs 27.86 crore, and the total contract value is Rs 866.87 crore. This includes the design cost, one-time development cost, non-recurring charges, and one-time costs for jigs, fixtures, tooling, and testing facilities, which will be utilised for all future high-speed projects in India,” BEML said in a disclosure to the exchanges.
“This project marks a significant milestone in India’s high-speed rail journey and will see the first indigenously designed and manufactured trainsets with a test speed of 280 kilometres per hour,” it added.
The trainsets will be built at BEML’s Bengaluru rail coach complex and are scheduled for delivery by the end of 2026.
Amid negotiation deadlocks with Japan over the price of Shinkansen – the Japanese bullet train – trainsets, the railways had set out to build its own bullet trains. It is not immediately clear if the trainsets being developed are intended for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor.
According to BEML, the fully air-conditioned trains will have a Chair Car configuration and offer modern passenger amenities such as reclining and rotatable seats, special provisions for passengers with restricted mobility, and onboard infotainment systems.
Over the past year, the railways have also been developing a test track for standard gauge trains in Rajasthan, primarily to test its ability to develop high-speed trains and export Vande Bharat trains, which need to be converted from broad gauge to standard gauge, the most widely accepted gauge globally.
First Published: Oct 16 2024 | 10:41 AM IST
