Kinet to supply 120 Vande Bharat sleeper trains as per original contract: Vaishnaw

Indian Railways has awarded contracts to technology partners to manufacture 200 Vande Bharat sleeper trains, out of which, Kinet Railway Solutions Limited will supply 120 trains of 16 cars each as per original contract, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told Rajya Sabha on Friday.

Vaishnaw gave the information in a written reply to questions raised by Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale.

The TMC leader wanted to know whether the tender for Vande Bharat sleeper coaches awarded to Kinet for 120 trains of 16 cars each, has now been revised to 80 trains of 24 cars each".

Gokhale also asked about the proposed design change in the train and if this will require an additional agreement.

He also wanted to know "whether the estimated deadline of delivery of the first prototype of these trains is September 2025 or whether it has been revised." The railway minister said, "With a view to provide better travel experience to the passengers, Indian Railways introduced first-ever indigenously designed and manufactured semi-high speed Vande Bharat trains with modern coaches, advanced safety features and passenger amenities." "Vande Bharat sleeper trains have been planned for long- and medium-distance journey. Design of trains to be manufactured by Indian Railways has been finalised," he added.

Providing an update on the current state of production, Vaishnaw said that at present, 10 Vande Bharat Sleeper trains are under production and the production of 50 Vande Bharat sleeper rakes has been taken up by Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai.

"In addition, contracts for manufacturing of 200 Vande Bharat sleeper rakes have also been awarded to technology partners, out of which, M/s Kinet Railway Solutions Limited is required to supply 120 trains of 16 cars each," the minister said.

He said, "This is as per the original contract agreement." Design and manufacture of coaches is a continuous process is undertaken based on operational and traffic requirements, he added.

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