Vande Bharat Trains to Be Manufactured Entirely in India, Production Expanded Across Three Major Railway Factories
The Vande Bharat Express project has emerged as one of the flagship initiatives under the Government of India’s ‘Make in India‘ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat‘ programmes. The objective is not only to provide passengers with modern semi-high-speed trains but also to build them largely with components manufactured within the country.
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After reviewing the initial procurement process, the Ministry of Railways revised the tender conditions to encourage greater participation from domestic manufacturers. Under the new policy, the first batches of Vande Bharat trainsets were required to have a minimum of 75% indigenous content, ensuring that a large share of the equipment, systems and components are sourced from Indian companies. The localisation level is expected to increase further as more components are manufactured domestically.
Three Railway Coach Factories Share the Manufacturing Responsibility
To avoid delays and increase production capacity, Indian Railways decided that Vande Bharat trains would not be manufactured at a single factory. Instead, production responsibilities were distributed among three major coach manufacturing units:
- Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai
- Rail Coach Factory (RCF), Kapurthala
- Modern Coach Factory (MCF), Rae Bareli
Earlier, ICF had informed the Railway Board that manufacturing all trainsets at one location would take several years. Following this, the Railways adopted a parallel production strategy, allowing all three factories to manufacture the trains simultaneously. This significantly reduced the overall production timeline and helped speed up the expansion of the Vande Bharat network.
Initial Plan Included 44 Indigenous Trainsets
The Railway Ministry had initially announced plans to manufacture 44 Vande Bharat trainsets entirely in India. Each trainset was designed with 16 coaches and built using locally sourced technology and components wherever possible.
To support this objective, revised tenders were floated with a stronger emphasis on Indian manufacturing capability. The move was considered a major step towards reducing dependence on imported railway technology while encouraging domestic suppliers to develop advanced propulsion systems, control equipment and other critical railway components.
Expansion Beyond Chair Car Trains
What began as a premium daytime Chair Car service has now evolved into an entire family of Vande Bharat trains.
Indian Railways has expanded the programme to include Vande Bharat Sleeper trains designed for overnight journeys. These trains are expected to feature AC First Class, AC 2-Tier and AC 3-Tier coaches, along with improved passenger amenities for long-distance travel.
At the same time, work has also progressed on newer-generation Vande Bharat coaches with upgraded safety features, improved ride quality, enhanced interiors, better energy efficiency and modern passenger information systems. These upgrades are aimed at making future Vande Bharat services more comfortable while reducing maintenance requirements.
A Major Boost for India’s Railway Manufacturing Sector
The Vande Bharat programme has become much more than the launch of a new train. It has created opportunities for hundreds of Indian manufacturers supplying electrical equipment, braking systems, coach components, interiors, control systems and other railway technologies.
With multiple factories producing trainsets simultaneously and the government continuing to increase indigenous manufacturing, the project has strengthened India’s capability to design, manufacture and maintain modern semi-high-speed trains within the country.
Over the past few years, the Vande Bharat network has expanded rapidly, connecting dozens of cities across India. The government has also announced plans to add more Vande Bharat trainsets in the coming years as part of its broader railway modernisation programme.
