India: A 16-car set has been produced at the ICF plant in Chennai, owned by Indian national operator Indian Railways.
Certification trials to meet the requirements of the Research Designs and Standards Organisation under India’s Ministry of Transport are due to begin shortly. These will include impact and vibration testing, emergency braking checks and assessment of running characteristics under full load conditions.
Vande Bharat for freight transport at ICF in Chennai. Source: RGA Rail Connect
The EMU is stated to be designed for carrying up to 264 t of cargo, which will be placed in containers on pallets, at a maximum speed of 160 km/h. One of its features is said to be the ability to carry refrigerated containers. Special floor fixings and automatic doors 1,800 mm wide should allow loading and unloading times to be reduced at specialised terminals.
The Vande Bharat electric train platform was developed as part of the national Make in India programme in the late 2010s. As of December 2025, 164 such trains with 8, 16 and 20-car formations have entered service. They are currently being produced in several variants with seating and sleeping accommodation.
Vande Bharat for freight transport at ICF in Chennai. Source: Ash18537355/X
Freight transport by EMUs is being explored in various countries. In the UK, for example, a four-car Class 321 electric train was converted for freight in 2021. In Russia, VNIIZhT, a R&D Institute of Russian Railways, recently presented the concept of modular freight trains. Meanwhile, Japan has recently launched a fully freight high-speed train, although Europe has for now abandoned such concepts.
