NEW DELHI: The rollout of the first Vande Bharat sleeper train built with Russian technology is set to be delayed by another six months, with railways now setting March 2027 as the target. The repeated delay by Kinet Railway Solutions in producing the prototype for 120 trainsets is likely to lead to a penalty if outstanding issues are not resolved, TOI has learnt.The joint venture between Russian rollingstock major TMH and RVNL, a public-sector undertaking of Indian Railways, was scheduled to roll out the first prototype in June, but the deadline was extended to Sep and now it has been pushed further as the firm is yet to fulfil certain conditions required for final approval, sources said.The delay has been attributed to unresolved issues concerning several components and sub-components of the 16-coach train, including the mini-pantry car, berths, ladders, traction motor, converter and brake systems, among others.Though the firm has submitted proposals for various components, railways has raised observations on some of them and the issues are yet to be resolved.
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There was no response from the railway ministry on the status of these sleeper trains and a Kinet spokesperson refused to comment on the issue.While Kinet had obtained the basic design approval for the train earlier, it is still required to secure other approvals essential for manufacturing and roll out. Informally, officials said railways is unlikely to offer further relaxation.The Rs 14,400 crore contract for 120 Vande Bharat Sleeper trainsets was awarded to Kinet. Each trainset will comprise 16 coaches, translating into a total of 1,920 coaches and 823 berths per train.
