The government has invited tenders for 200 fourth-generation Vande Bharat trains which will be the first-of-their-kind in India as they will be light-weight aluminium bodied and can run at a maximum speeds of 200 km/hour.
News18 has reviewed these tenders invited by the government this month in two batches of 100 trains each. The delivery deadline is fixed at minimum 30 trains to be delivered in the first year, 40 in the second year and 50 trains from the third year onwards.
These recent tenders for sleeper trains follow tenders for 200 third-generation Vande Bharat trains floated in April and whose deadline was recently extended till October. For the most recent tenders, companies have been given time till November 2022 to submit their bids.
These tenders kick-start the announcement made by the government earlier this year to roll out 400 Vande Bharat trains by the end of 2024-25. While companies were given the choice between either steel or aluminium coaches in the tenders for 200 trains issued in April, the recent tenders specify the 200 other trains have to be light-weight aluminium bodied as well as energy-efficient.
“All the Trains to be supplied against this Agreement shall be manufactured at Rail Coach Naveenikaran Karkhana, Sonipat. Train shall be designed to operate at a maximum service speed of 200 kmph. The train shall be designed so as to successfully complete assessment testing at 200 kmph+ 10% test speed,” the tender document mentions.
Hundred of these fourth-generation trains will have a Concentrated Power System while the other 100 will have Distributed Power System, that will also be a first for India. Government wants these trains manufactured as per concept of “Make In India, Make For World” model under “Aatma-Nirbhar Bharat”, the document says.
Features of 4th Gen Vande Bharat Trains
The document mentions that the car body of the new 200 trains shall be manufactured using light-weight aluminium alloy and it shall be from the latest and best practised Rolling Stock Application. It has also been mentioned that throughout the design life of 35 years, the car body material shall not degrade or be etched by the environmental conditions that exist in India.
“Passenger amenities shall be comparable to that of Best-in-class trains globally in terms of comfort, functionality and aesthetics. Interfaces between Passengers and the train shall have a modern, uncluttered appearance. Materials and finishes on the interior shall give Passengers the impression of a high quality service, while also meeting requirements for robustness, cleanability, graffiti-resistance, etc,” the document says.
A 3-pin socket and USB power socket shall be provided for each passenger seat or berth. There will be zero discharge toilet systems which shall be completely odour free. The train will have facility for differently abled persons to accommodate a wheelchair, complete with its occupant.
The driving cab end of the train shall be provided with a rugged cattle guard that can withstand collisions at the maximum service speed with animals weighing up to 600 kg and shall be strong enough and profiled to prevent the entry of animals under the car after impact, the document adds.
A location shall be marked on the roof of the car where emergency services may cut through to gain access to the interior of a car that has rolled on to its side. The location shall be adequate to enable a stretcher-borne patient to be removed from the car. Emergency exits will be on each side of the car with the distance to be covered between any seat and emergency exit being less than 16m, the document mentions.
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