Vande Bharat, India’s indigenously designed semi-high-speed train, is expected to enter international markets in the near future.
While flagging off the new Bengaluru-Mumbai Vande Bharat Express on Sunday, Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the Indian Railways is in the process of developing complete trainsets to export to overseas markets.
"With every version of the Vande Bharat train, we are improving. Each time we manufacture a new version, we make improvements based on learnings from the previous versions," he said.
The country is to start exporting complete trains within the next three to four years.
The pricing of Vande Bharat might be attractive for developing and budget-conscious nations in South Asia, Africa and Latin America. A 16-coach version of the flagship train costs roughly ₹120 to 150 crores, while comparable trains built in Europe cost around ₹426 crores.
According to data shared by Vaishnaw in the Lok Sabha, the average fare per passenger-kilometre (PKM) for Vande Bharat stands at ₹2.19, while it can range from ₹7 to ₹20 in countries like China, France and Japan.
The minister’s statement comes as an Indian Railways PSU, RITES Limited, explores the idea of creating Vande Bharat trains adapted to standard gauge tracks. The current version is suitable for broad gauge, which will limit exports to countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Finland and Mongolia.
However, the standard gauge used by 55 to 60 per cent of countries will allow a wider range of export destinations.
The Indian Railways already supplies multiple railway components to international markets, with exports standing at ₹26,000 crore between 2016 and 2027.
According to the Ministry of Railways, the Savli unit exported over 3,800 bogies to Germany, Egypt, Sweden, Australia, and Brazil. 4,000 platpacks were exported to Austria. The Maneja unit exported roughly 5,000 propulsion systems to countries including France, Mexico, Romania, Spain, Germany, and Italy.
Parts such as metro coaches, passenger coaches and locomotives were delivered to Australia, Canada, Mozambique, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Senegal and the Republic of Guinea.
