Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw refutes delays in Vande Bharat sleeper trains due to design | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has dismissed media reports pointing to delays in the production of the Vande Bharat sleeper train due to discharge permit issues. Speaking to the media on Thursday, Vaishnaw said the design process was never an issue at the Russian company Transmasholding (TMH), contracted for the production of the train sets.
Earlier reports claimed that the Indian Railways had requested design changes, including the addition of toilets and pantry cars, which would delay the ministry’s approval of the revised design.
Vaishnaw refuted these claims, saying the delays were actually due to TMH’s restrictions production capacityas the company is used to producing trains with only six to eight carriages – standard in Russia.
The minister clarified that Indian Railways TMH had provided the Vande Bharat design and explicitly specified the requirement for trainsets with 16, 20 or 24 coaches, reflecting India’s larger population and population. passenger demand.
“The company has no experience in manufacturing a train set of more than six or eight coaches. We had clearly told them that we will give them a Vande Bharat design to follow. What they need is more production teams,” Vaishnaw said .
He added: “I would like to clarify that when the contract was signed, it clearly stated that they had to produce trainsets with coaches on 16/20/24.”
Vaishnaw also mentioned that some routes in India require trains with 24 coaches, while others require configurations with 16 coaches, and TMH was initially unprepared to meet these requirements. He added that the issues have been resolved and production will begin 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 the Indian railway network.
The contract calls for TMH to produce 1,920 units sleep coachescrucial for the expansion of the Vande Bharat fleet.