Medha Servo Drives to supply, maintain equipment for Vande Bharat type trainsets

Indian Railways has awarded the tender to design, develop, manufacture, supply, integrate, test and commission various equipment for Vande Bharat type train sets for 44 rakes of 16 cars each to Medha Servo Drives Ltd for ₹2,211 crore.

The equipment include propulsion, control and other equipment, and the procurement includes five years’ comprehensive annual maintenance contract with the supplier, an official release said.

These coaches will be manufactured at three production units of Indian Railways — 24 rakes (one set of train) at Integral Coach Factory, Chennai; 10 rakes at Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala, and balance 10 rakes at Modern Coach Factory, Raebareli, it added.

Railways to increase local content in newer Vande Bharat Train

Local content requirement

The specifications were prepared after multiple deliberations with industry at various levels for manufacturing the train sets indigenously. For the first time, the tender required minimum 75 per cent local content.

Three bidders participated in the tender and the lowest offer was from indigenous manufacturer Medha Servo Drives who successfully met the minimum local content of 75 per cent of the total value.

Railways to adopt a ‘zero’ imports policy

The tender was finalised for Medha Servo Drives Ltd for all-in cost of ₹2,211.64 crore for 44 rakes of 16 cars each. The first two prototype rakes will be delivered in 20 months. On successful commissioning, the firm will be delivering an average of six rakes per quarter.