Design Changes May Delay India-Russian Vande Bharat Project, Matter Escalated To Diplomatic Level

Last Updated:November 24, 2024, 09:26 IST

The modifications sought by Indian Railways include increasing the number of toilets from three to four per car and including pantry cars and luggage zones, which weren't in the original design

Indian Railways wants the train composition altered from 120 trains with 16 cars each to 80 trains with 24 cars each. (PTI/File)

The India-Russian collaboration for manufacturing Vande Bharat trains has hit a roadblock over design changes, with the matter now being escalated to diplomatic channels. Russian rollingstock company Transmasholding (TMH) has taken the issue to intergovernmental level seeking quick resolution.

The matter was discussed in a high-level meeting between India and Russia, attended by India’s foreign minister S Jaishankar and First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Denis Manturov. “We raised this issue during this meeting, and we hope that it was raised in the right manner and on the right level," said Kirill Lipa, CEO of TMH, while speaking to Indian journalists at his Moscow office.

The project involves Kinet, a joint venture between TMH, Locomotive Electronic Systems (LES), and Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL), to supply 1920 Vande Bharat Sleeper Coaches to Indian Railways. The contract includes maintenance of these coaches for 35 years. According to the original timeline set in September 2023, the first prototype was to be delivered within 24 months. However, this timeline appears challenging due to pending design approvals.

“We definitely need some support from the governmental leaders in India, and I believe that after this meeting we had last week, we will get it," Lipa said. “It’s not about design of the coach. It’s the engineering behind it. While design can always be tweaked, real problem comes for the systems around. The whole layout of the coach is disturbed."

TMH officials revealed that on May 24, 2024, they received an official letter from Indian Railways requesting changes to the composition and internal features of coaches. The modifications included altering the train composition from 120 trains with 16 cars each to 80 trains with 24 cars each. Additional changes involved increasing the number of toilets from three to four per car and including pantry cars and luggage zones, which weren’t in the original design.

Indian Railways, responding to the situation, stated that they had sought responses for certain technical modifications as per MCMA, which were received after 4-5 months and are currently under examination.

The manufacturing was scheduled to begin by year-end at the Marathwada Rail Coach Factory (MRCF) in Latur, Maharashtra, where equipment installation is currently underway. However, production cannot commence until the design is finalised.

On the financial implications, Lipa stated, “We have insisted on certain compensation for the redesigning of the product because it takes time, which will escalate the cost. We sent an official document in last week of September and are awaiting official response."

Moscow, Russia

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