India: The Ministry of Railways commissioned the ICF plant in Chennai, part of the Indian Railways, to develop two prototypes of such trains by March 2025.
The eight-car trainsets are to be based on the national Indian platform Vande Bharat. The steel-bodied EMUs will have a designed speed of 250 km/h and be able to operate on 1,435 mm-gauge lines.
The ICF ex-general manager Sudhanshu Mani, who led the development of the first Vande Bharats, has said to the Indian media that it’s impossible to manufacture a vehicle on such short notice. According to him, it would take three or four years.
The Mumbai–Ahmedabad line project is carried out with the Japanese financial assistance. Thus, 24 trains to operate with a maximum speed of 320 km/h will be purchased from Hitachi Rail and Kawasaki. The tender process is currently underway. The line’s launch is scheduled for 2026.