NEW DELHI: Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has dismissed media reports suggesting delays in the manufacturing of Vande Bharat sleeper train due to resign clearance problems. Addressing the media on Thursday, Vaishnaw said that the design process was never an issue with the Russian firm Transmasholding (TMH), contracted to produce the train sets.
Earlier reports claimed Indian Railways requested design modifications, including the addition of toilets and pantry cars, which allegedly delayed the ministry’s approval of the revised design.
Vaishnaw refuted these claims, saying the delays were actually due to TMH’s limited manufacturing capacity, as the company is accustomed to producing trains with only six to eight coaches—standard in Russia.
The minister clarified that Indian Railways had provided TMH with the Vande Bharat design and explicitly specified the requirement for train sets with 16, 20, or 24 coaches, reflecting India’s larger population and higher passenger demand.
“The firm doesn’t have experience to manufacture a train set of more than six or eight coaches. We had clearly told them that we will give them design of Vande Bharat to follow. What they need is more manufacturing teams,” Vaishnaw said.
He added, “I want to clarify that when the contract was signed, it clearly said that they have to manufacture train sets with coaches 16/20/24.”
Vaishnaw also mentioned that some routes in India require 24-coach trains, while others need 16-coach configurations, and TMH was initially unprepared to meet these demands. He added that the issues have been resolved, and production will commence soon.
The minister reiterated Indian Railways’ commitment to the timely execution of the project and expressed confidence in TMH’s ability to adapt to the unique requirements of India’s rail network.
The contract requires TMH to manufacture 1,920 sleeper coaches, crucial for the expansion of the Vande Bharat fleet.
