Lucknow Press
Indian Railways: Indian Railways is preparing to run Vande Bharat trains on as many routes as possible. Meanwhile, the big news is that the Railways has canceled the tender of Rs 30,000 crore issued for the manufacturing and maintenance of 100 aluminum body Vande Bharat trains. According to the news published in Moneycontrol, Alstom India Managing Director Olivier Loison gave information about this.
However, he said that the company has invested a lot in the country. If the opportunity comes in the future, it is ready to help in this project.
Intention to give tender for Rs 140 crore
According to railway officials, the tender panel found the bid of French company Alstom very high. The company had quoted the price of one train set as Rs 150.9 crore. But the intention of the railways is that this price should not exceed Rs 140 crore. However, Alstom was ready for this at Rs 145 crore. Alstom had placed the lowest bid for the tender of Rs 30,000 crore. The company had expressed its desire to make 100 Vande Bharat train sets in the bid held on 30 May 2023.
An attempt to get the contract at a good price!
An official said that by cancelling this contract, the railways will get more time to get the delivery of the train at a good price. Apart from this, the bidding companies will also get a good opportunity to prepare the necessary manufacturing facilities. However, no official statement has been issued by the Railway Ministry in this regard.
Stainless steel Vande Bharat will cost Rs 120 crore
In July 2023, Alstom CEO Henri Poupart-Lafarge said during an interview that the company would use new aluminium technology for the project. Last year, Lafarge said that the company had paid a good price for the project. According to an official, earlier the contract to make 200 stainless steel Vande Bharat sleeper train sets was given at the rate of Rs 120 crore per train. An official also said that competition between companies is necessary to get the best price. He said that next time many companies will be able to participate in the tender. This time only two companies participated.
17000 crores for 35 years of maintenance
The official said that to participate in the tender, the companies must have research and development (R&D) facilities. So that they can make a prototype train. Apart from this, they should also have the capacity to make at least five train sets every year. In total, 100 train sets will have to be delivered in seven years. As per the terms of the contract, the winning company will get Rs 13,000 crore for delivering the train sets and the remaining Rs 17,000 crore will be given for maintenance for 35 years.
Trains made of aluminium are lighter and power efficient than stainless steel. Railways plans to start the first sleeper version of Vande Bharat trains by the first quarter of 2025. So far, contracts have been awarded to make 102 chair cars and 200 sleeper Vande Bharat trains. Vande Bharat is a semi-high speed train and has 16 such coaches. It does not require a separate engine. This system is called ‘distributed traction power’, which is being liked a lot all over the world for passenger trains. Such trains pick up speed and stop faster than normal trains. They have features like better seats and reaching a speed of 160 kmph in 140 seconds.
