New Delhi, Sep 15 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the RVNL stall and witnessed the Vande Bharat Sleeper trainset model at the recently held INNOPROM Exhibition at Bharat Mandapam.
Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) and Russian company Transmashholding (TMH) collaborated to form Kinet Railway Solutions Ltd, an Indo-Russian joint venture, to manufacture 120 Vande Bharat Sleeper trainsets, each comprising 16 coaches, at its Marathwada factory in Maharashtra.
“A major highlight of the three-day exhibition was the visit of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and President of the Russian Federation H.E. Vladimir Putin to the RVNL stall,” Saleem Ahmad, CMD, RVNL, who welcomed the dignitaries at the stall, said, calling the visit a proud moment for RVNL.
“The RVNL stall showcased, among other things, a model of the trainsets being manufactured in collaboration with a Russian partner. The Vande Bharat Sleeper train is India’s indigenous and modern trainset, and RVNL, together with Russian company TMH, has formed KINET for manufacturing these trainsets,” an RVNL press note said on Tuesday.
“This project brings together Indian manufacturing capability and Russian technological expertise and is a fine example of the strong technological partnership,” it added.
Another major attraction at the exhibition was the model of a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) being deployed for the construction of tunnels on the Rishikesh–Karnaprayag Rail Link Project, one of the country’s significant railway infrastructure projects in the challenging Himalayan terrain.
A model of the New Pamban Railway Sea Bridge, India’s first vertical-lift bridge, highlighted RVNL’s work in advanced railway infrastructure and engineering. The bridge was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year.
The first prototype of the Vande Bharat Sleeper trainset by Kinet Railway Solutions was supposed to be ready in June 2026 but will now roll out by March 31, 2027, according to RVNL’s announcement a few weeks ago.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the country’s first pair of Vande Bharat Sleeper trains on January 17, between Kamakhya and Howrah.
The Vande Bharat Sleeper train manufacturing programme is being executed in a phased manner through prototype development, trials and series production by BEML, Integral Coach Factory, Chennai, and technology partners.
The Railway Ministry has decided to induct these trainsets into regular passenger service in a phased manner, based on demand and operational readiness.
A total of 260 rakes of Vande Bharat Sleeper trainsets have been planned for manufacture. Of these 260 trainsets, 120 will be manufactured by Kinet Railway Solutions, 80 by the BHEL-Titagarh consortium, and 50 by Integral Coach Factory, Chennai. PTI JP JP AMJ AMJ
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