The Ministry of Railways is preparing a roadmap to start exporting indigenously manufactured Vande Bharat Express trains by 2025-26. In a meeting, Railway Board Chairman Ashwani Lohani asked officials to prepare a plan to export the train within three years. He said the ministry had already taken up the matter with the commerce ministry.
Lohani said the ministry was planning to produce around 475 Vande Bharat passenger trains in the next three-four years. Once they run successfully on Indian rails, he added, there will be confidence in global market about the quality of the products.
He said the government was committed to producing the train in India and it was important to develop the ecosystem to export the train. The minister said the ministry was also working to increase production capacity of the train and introduce newer models with better features. He said “There was no question of stopping the production of Vande Bharat trains. We want to make sure that the train runs smoothly, The ministry was also looking into the possibility of introducing sleeper classes in the train.”
India’s indigenous train manufacturing industry is set to grow rapidly in the coming years, according to a report published by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC). According to the IRCTC, India’s rail freight market is expected to reach $100 billion by 2023. This is projected to rise to $150 billion by 2030.
In addition, the report states that by 2022, India’s railway network will have grown to 7,500 km and will account for nearly 10% of total road traffic. This growth will require the creation of additional capacity in terms of rolling stock and infrastructure.
To meet this demand, the ministry is planning to produce around 475 Vande Bharat Express trains by 2021. These trains will be exported to countries such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, Yemen, Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Chad, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Congo, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland, Lesotho, Eswatini, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin, Togo, Niger, Chad.
A senior railway official told PTI that the ministry is planning to export Vande Bharat Express by 2025-26. He added that the government is also working towards increasing production of these trains as it wants to produce newer models with sleeper coaches.
He further said that- “The ministry is also working to increase the production of these trains as there is huge demand for them globally. The ministry is working to improve the quality of these trains and also make them safer. We are already exporting some of our products like Rajdhani Expresses and Shatabdi Expresses. Once we prove the technology, we will be able to export Vande Bharat Express trains too.”
“There will be confidence in global market about our product. This will help us to sell the product abroad,” he said adding that the ministry is also trying to bring down the price of these trains.
The official said there is no plan to import these trains from China or Japan because they do not meet international standards.