BHEL, Titagarh Wagons bag contract for 80 new Vande Bharat trains

BHEL along with Titagarh Wagons in a consortium has bagged an order for 80 Vande Bharat trains in a tender issued by the Indian Railways for the manufacturing and maintenance of the semi-high-speed trains.

In the bid for 200 Vande Bharat trains, the consortium led by BHEL was chosen as the second bidder and was given a contract to build 80 trains, valued at over INR 23,000 crores.

The amount of the order is comprised of the purchase of train sets at INR 9,600 crores, and the balance to maintain the same over a 35-year period.

BHEL said that the contract win is a significant step in the company’s drive to diversify.

The consortium will build, test, commission, and deliver the energy-efficient 80 Vande Bharat Trains at their manufacturing facilities as well as at the ICF-Chennai facility of the Indian Railways.

The trains must have an operating speed of 176/160kmph.

BHEL, Titagarh Wagons bag contract for 80 new Vande Bharat trains. Photo courtesy of Harshul12345/Wiki

BHEL said that it is among the biggest suppliers of electrics for rolling stock for the Indian Railways. Its responsibilities will include the supply of propulsion systems, which include IGBT-based traction converter-inverter as well as auxiliary converter, transformers, train controller management, motors, and mechanical bogies.

The items will be produced at BHEL’s manufacturing facility located in Bengaluru, Bhopal, and Jhansi.

The consortium partner of BHEL, Titagarh Wagons as a manufacturer of rolling stock to Indian Metros and the Indian Railways will be responsible for the building of the mechanical coach. The final integration, testing, commissioning, and servicing of the Vande Bharat trains will be done jointly BHEL and Titagarh Wagons.

The BHEL and Titagarh Wagons consortium was the sole domestic bidder among the five bidders. This is a significant step towards realizing the dream of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, said BHEL.

BHEL stated: “Both companies are highly committed to provide world class technology to the people of India and contribute to the development of the nation, making it truly self-reliant in the semi-high speed passenger rolling stock segment.”