BEML, a company that manufactures equipment used in railways, defence, transport and mining, will make the coaches of the first indigenous bullet train. The company has got a contract worth Rs 867 crore for this.
This contract has been given to the company by Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai. After the deal to buy Bullet Train from Japan did not reach its conclusion, Indian Railways had decided to build it in the country itself.
One coach will cost Rs 27.86 crore
According to the filing issued by BEML, the price of each coach will be Rs 27.86 crore and the total contract value is Rs 866.87 crore. This includes design cost, one-time development cost, non-recurring charges, one-time cost for jigs, fixtures, tooling and testing facilities.
High-speed bullet train will be delivered by the end of 2026
The company said that this project is a milestone in India's high-speed train journey. This project will provide indigenously designed and manufactured trains with a speed of 280kmph. These will be built at BEML's Bengaluru Rail Coach Complex, with delivery scheduled by the end of 2026.
Rotating chair and onboard infotainment system will be available
The coaches of the new trains will be completely air conditioned and their seats will be reclining and rotating. Passengers with disabilities or restricted mobility will get separate facilities and onboard infotainment system.
Railways has built standard gauge tracks for testing high-speed trains in Rajasthan last year. Railways is preparing to export trains to India.
BEML builds sleeper coach of India's high-speed luxury train Vande Bharat
BEML has manufactured the sleeper coach of India's high-speed luxury train Vande Bharat. Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav gave a glimpse of the first model of Vande Bharat sleeper train last month (September 1).
He had told that Vande Bharat Sleeper train will start in the next 3 months i.e. by December. The manufacturing work of the coach has been completed. It will come out of BEML factory in a few days. Testing of the train will continue for the next 2 months. After this the train will be launched for the passengers.
The Railway Minister said that the Vande Bharat Sleeper train has been designed to travel a distance of 800 to 1200KM. Passengers will board it at around 10 pm and will reach their destination in the morning. This train has been made for the middle class. Its fare will be the same as that of Rajdhani.
Outside look of Vande Bharat sleeper train. It is manufactured at the BEML factory in Bengaluru.
Graphics Source: VaskarAssets
