The government is firm on its decision to run 75 Vande Bharat trains within 75 weeks, even after the order for 36,000 wheels was scrapped due to the Russo-Ukraine war. For this, the government has decided to manufacture 128 wheels at the factory in Bangalore. At the same time, 128 wheels via Romania will reach Chennai within two weeks. With this, two Vande Bharat trials will start by the end of May. The rest of the wheels have been ordered to the US and Poland.
Railway Ministry sources said that due to Ukraine-Russia war 128 wheels of two Vande Bharat have been sent from Ukraine to Romania. These wheels will be brought to Chennai airport by airlift from there. From here it will be taken to the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, where Vande Bharat trains are being manufactured. This is where these wheels will be installed in the trains. After that the trial process will be started.
Trial will be done for three months
After the completion of three months of trial, Vande Bharat trains will be run on major routes of the country. The work on manufacturing 128 wheels of two Vande Bharat trains has started at Yelahanka Rail Wheel Factory (RWF), Bangalore, the official said. Till now the work of making axles for wheels was done here. The wheels will be ready by July. After this the trial of two more Vande Bharat trains will be started. At present, Railways imports 60-70 per cent of the wheels.
Prime Minister’s ambitious plan
Vande Bharat train is the favorite project of Prime Minister pic.twitter.com/MTUrPcR1VY
— ANI (@ANI) August 22, 2021
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Therefore, the railways wants to take it forward as per the schedule. Modi had announced this on 15 August 2021 from the Red Fort. As per the deadline announced by Modi, a target has been set to run 75 Vande Bharat trains by August 15, 2023.
400 Vande Bharat will run in three years
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced to run 400 Vande Bharat in the Union Budget 2022. Railways claims that in the next three years, all 400 Vande Bharat will start running on the tracks. Apart from ICF, Chennai, Railways Vande Bharat trains are also being built at MCF, Rae Bareli and RCF Kapurthala.