India Crafting 250 kmph 'Made in India' Bullet Trains
07 Jun 2024
2 Min Read
CW Team
According to officials familiar with the matter, the railways has assigned the task of locally manufacturing two standard-gauge bullet trains this fiscal year to the state-owned Integral Coach Factory (ICF), as discussions with Japanese suppliers became stalled over pricing.
It was revealed that India will be manufacturing a train capable of achieving maximum speeds of 250 kilometres per hour (kmph) for the first time.
These two trains are anticipated to operate on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail corridor, which is valued at Rs 1.08 trillion.
The trains are expected to be constructed on the Vande Bharat platform. Experts expressed that while utilizing an existing platform would aid ICF in reducing the time required to introduce the trainsets, supplying them within this fiscal year would pose a challenge.
A senior official familiar with the decision informed, "ICF, Chennai has been assigned the task of constructing and delivering two standard-gauge trainsets of eight cars each, featuring a steel car body, with a running speed of 220 kmph and a maximum speed of 250 kmph." He added that the order for the trains was issued earlier this week. Discussions with a consortium of Japanese rolling stock suppliers - Hitachi and Kawasaki - have been ongoing for a considerable time but have not progressed much.
"As negotiations are ongoing, we anticipate the Japanese to adhere closely to our cost estimates for the supply of bullet train rolling stock," stated a second official. The official further added that it would take suppliers approximately three years from the award date to fulfill the contract terms.
The estimated cost of a 10-coach bullet train was Rs 3.89 billion in 2018. Each train was supposed to achieve cruising speeds of over 300 kmph. However, in 2023, the estimated supply cost was revised to Rs 4.60 billion per trainset.
According to officials familiar with the matter, the railways has assigned the task of locally manufacturing two standard-gauge bullet trains this fiscal year to the state-owned Integral Coach Factory (ICF), as discussions with Japanese suppliers became stalled over pricing.
It was revealed that India will be manufacturing a train capable of achieving maximum speeds of 250 kilometres per hour (kmph) for the first time.
These two trains are anticipated to operate on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail corridor, which is valued at Rs 1.08 trillion.
The trains are expected to be constructed on the Vande Bharat platform. Experts expressed that while utilizing an existing platform would aid ICF in reducing the time required to introduce the trainsets, supplying them within this fiscal year would pose a challenge.
A senior official familiar with the decision informed, ICF, Chennai has been assigned the task of constructing and delivering two standard-gauge trainsets of eight cars each, featuring a steel car body, with a running speed of 220 kmph and a maximum speed of 250 kmph. He added that the order for the trains was issued earlier this week. Discussions with a consortium of Japanese rolling stock suppliers - Hitachi and Kawasaki - have been ongoing for a considerable time but have not progressed much.
As negotiations are ongoing, we anticipate the Japanese to adhere closely to our cost estimates for the supply of bullet train rolling stock, stated a second official. The official further added that it would take suppliers approximately three years from the award date to fulfill the contract terms.
The estimated cost of a 10-coach bullet train was Rs 3.89 billion in 2018. Each train was supposed to achieve cruising speeds of over 300 kmph. However, in 2023, the estimated supply cost was revised to Rs 4.60 billion per trainset.
Next Story
3i Infotech Reports Rs 7.25 Bn Revenue for FY25
3i Infotech, a leading provider of digital transformation, technology services and technology solutions, announced its consolidated financial results for the fourth quarter and full year FY25, ended on March 31st, 2025. The company maintained its growth momentum, displaying consistent progress for the 3rd consecutive quarter.In Q4 FY25, 3i Infotech reported revenue of Rs 1.87 billion, reflecting steady performance compared to Rs 1.81 billion in Q3 FY25 and Rs 1.97 billion in Q4 FY24. The company delivered strong profitability improvements, with gross margin growing by 14.8 per cent Q-o-Q and 1..
Next Story
Emerald Finance Joins Baya PTE to Boost SME Bill Discounting
Emerald Finance is a dynamic company offering a spectrum of financial products and services including its flagship Earned Wage Access (EWA) in India, has entered into a strategic partnership with Singapore-based Baya PTE through its Indian subsidiary. This collaboration aims to strengthen bill discounting services for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), enabling faster access to working capital and improved cash flow management.The initiative is designed to support SMEs that supply to large corporates such as JSW Steel, Delhivery, and PVR INOX, among others. By facilitating timely invoice dis..
Next Story
BLS E-Services Crosses Rs 5 Bn Revenue Mark in FY25
BLS E-Services, a technology-enabled digital service provider, announced its audited consolidated financial results for the quarter and full year period ended 31 March 2025.Speaking about the performance and recent updates, Shikhar Aggarwal, Chairman, BLS E- Services said, 鈥淲e are delighted to report a remarkable performance in FY25, as we achieved several milestones during the fiscal year. FY25 marked our highest-ever financial performance, as we surpassed Rs 5 billion milestone in Total Income during the year, which was reported at Rs 5.45 billion, a notable YoY growth of 76 per cent. The ..