New Delhi, Oct 27 (PTI) Indian Railways has placed an order worth Rs 839 crore with US-based firm Wabtec to supply critical onboard systems — including braking systems, doors and gangway solutions — for the 24-coach Vande Bharat Sleeper trains to be manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai.
“The agreements, valued at approximately USD 94 million (Rs 839 crore), will enable Indian Railways to increase service availability, reduce maintenance complexity, and improve passenger safety,” Wabtec said in a statement on Tuesday.
The Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai recently announced that it aims to finalise the design of the sleeper trains by November 10, 2026, more than four years after issuing the technical specifications. Officials said the prototype would be ready by May or June 2027.
“As part of the project, Wabtec will supply critical onboard systems, including brake systems, doors, and gangway solutions. The scope includes system delivery, integration support, testing, commissioning, and long-term operational reliability support aligned with Indian Railways’ demand for performance and delivery requirements,” Wabtec said.
“These orders further reinforce Wabtec’s commitment to support the modernisation of Indian Railways,” said Pascal Schweitzer, President, Wabtec Transit.
“Our success reflects the strength of our technology, local manufacturing capabilities, and ability to meet the rigorous requirements of large-scale rail programmes. We are focused on delivering these world-class systems on schedule and supporting the introduction of the next generation of sleeper rail travel in India,” Schweitzer added.
Earlier, the Railway Ministry had placed orders for propulsion equipment for 50 rakes with two companies — Medha and Alstom — on December 17, 2024. Medha is expected to supply propulsion systems for 33 rakes, while Alstom will supply them for the remaining 17.
In 2023-24, while announcing plans to manufacture ten 16-coach Vande Bharat Sleeper trains in collaboration with ICF Chennai and Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), the ministry had also said that ICF Chennai would manufacture 50 rakes of the 24-coach Vande Bharat Sleeper trains.
Of the ten 16-coach train sets announced by the ministry, one pair was launched in January 2026 on the Howrah-Kamakhya route. Two other pairs are ready for launch on the Delhi-Varanasi and Mumbai-Bengaluru routes, while the remaining two pairs are at various stages of manufacturing at BEML.
Besides 50 24-coach and 10 16-coach train sets, Kinet Railway Solutions Ltd, an Indo-Russian joint venture formed by Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd and Russian company Transmashholding, is also manufacturing 120 16-coach Vande Bharat Sleeper trains at its factory in Marathwada, Maharashtra, by the end of 2027.
Additionally, 80 16-coach Vande Bharat Sleeper train sets will be manufactured by the BHEL-Titagarh consortium. Some of these manufacturers have revised the completion deadlines in the past due to various technical reasons. PTI JP JP RUK
RUK
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.