Indian Railways is working on its own high-speed train model - of speeds at 250 km per hr and above - somewhat on the lines of Japanese bullet trains. Integral Coach Factory, along with BEML Ltd, has begun work towards developing the first prototype for such high-speed trains and trainsets.
According to U Subba Rao, General Manager, ICF, tenders were recently floated for the design and development of such high-speed trains. BEML has been selected as the partner/consultant for the project.
“ICF jointly BEML will be participating in design and development of these high-speed trainsets which will have the capacity to go up to speeds of at least 250 kmph and above. The design, construct and other operationalisation parts will be fully indigenous,” Rao told businessline.
These trains will run on the standard gauge tracks.
Manufacturing cost of each trainset is yet to be determined.
A three-to-four-year time frame has been provided for creation of the prototype and bringing on-stream the first such indigenous ‘bullet’ train.
So far, Vande Bharats (chair cars), which have installed speed of 160 kmph — although they operate at a speed of 130 kmph because of track restrictions — are the country’s fastest moving end-to-end trains, beating Shatabdis. The Vande Bharat is considered semi-high-speed trains.
Bullet Train Project
India is on course to develop its first-ever high-speed bullet train corridor between Ahmedabad and Mumbai. The nearly 510 km distance would be covered in two-odd-hours under the high-speed rail project.
The project, funded by JICA — which has provided around ₹60,000 crore of loans — is already under construction with two Japanese firms Kawasaki and Hitachi, expressing willingness to participate in design and development of the first set of such Shinkansen Trains (bullet trains) suited to Indian conditions.
In 2018, the estimated cost of a 10-coach bullet train was ₹389 crore, with each train expected to reach cruising speeds of over 300 kmph.
As per the initial loan agreement terms signed with JICA, India will have to procure the first few bullet train sets from Japanese suppliers only.
Negotiations are currently underway, senior railway officials said.
More High-Speed Corridors
India is also considering developing more such high-speed corridors over the next few years. And the country’s ruling party, the BJP, in its 2024 Lok Sabha manifesto had mentioned the same too.
“As new high-speed corridors come into operation, India will be required to have its own rolling stock, and manufacturing capabilities. So, asking ICF - BEML to come up with working prototypes is one such forward step,” railway officials said.