LUCKNOW: Welcoming the announcement in the Union Budget for manufacturing 400 new generation Vande Bharat trains aka Train-18 in next three years, the maker of the country’s first semi-high-speed train, Sudhanshu Mani, said it will boost the country’s ambition of becoming self-reliant.
Mani, who as the general manager of Integral Coach Factory, Chennai, had led the Vande Bharat Express project and has settled in Lucknow after retirement, said, "Earlier too the government had announced to manufacture 75 rakes of Train-18, but till date only two rakes are rolling on tracks. There is no further development, as attempts have been made to sabotage the entire indigenous project to give an edge to international players manufacturing advanced train coaches and sets."
"I am confident the railway minister and finance minister will boost the project which has been hailed by PM Narendra Modi several times," he added.
On Tuesday, while presenting the 2022-23 budget, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, "400 new generation Vande Bharat trains with better energy efficiency and passenger riding experience to be manufactured in the next three years.(sic)".
In 2019, the production of Train 18 rakes was halted citing that the train is heavier and consumes more power compared to Shatabdi Express on the same route and speed.
"With few tweaks and changes, Train-18 can easily cater to the requirements of Indian Railways. The train can be used for EMU as well as for national capital region transport corporation (NCRTC) project. Clauses have been put to allow only those trains in competition for such transport projects who have experience in one foreign country," he added.
"If you don’t allow indigenously developed Train-18 in India, then how will any other country show interest even though it is equally good in comparison to all global competitors," said Mani, who belongs to 1979 batch of Indian Railways Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME).
ICF’s engineers had manufactured the first Train-18 in record 18 months at a cost of Rs 97 crore.
"If more trains are manufactured, then the cost will reduce further. I’m confident that 10-15 rakes will be manufactured in the current financial year," said Mani.
