India: Kinet Railway Solutions, the joint venture between Russia’s TMH and India’s Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL), has announced completion of the first body for the head coach.
Rolling stock production is currently underway at the Marathwada Rail Coach Factory in Latur. A prototype 16-car trainset, designed for an operational speed of 160 km/h, is expected to be unveiled in June.
Under a contract signed in 2023 between national operator Indian Railways and Kinet Railway Solutions, the joint venture will supply 120 trains (1,920 coaches) together with 35 years of maintenance support. TMH previously stated that the total value of the contract could reach $6.5 bln. Last year, Kinet presented a full-scale mock-up of a four-berth first-class sleeper compartment and an updated exterior design concept.
The first Vande Bharat sleeper EMUs entered service in India in January, manufactured at BEML’s Bengaluru plant under a contract with Indian Railways for 10 trainsets. In parallel, a consortium of Titagarh Wagons and Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd is delivering 80 additional Vande Bharat sleeper EMUs comprising 1,280 coaches.
