The Vande Bharat Narrative Must Change!

 

Let me begin by repeating what I must have stated a thousand times: A team of engineers from Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai of Indian Railways (IR)and even more importantly, the allied rail rolling stock industry came together with great synergy to conceptualize, design,  engineer and deliver Train 18/Vande Bharat Express in 2018. It was a near world-class train, made entirely in India in just 18 months at a fraction of what it would take, both in terms of time and cost, anywhere across the globe. The train caught the imagination of the countrymen, helped a great deal by the frequent declaration by the Prime Minister Modi himself calling the train a symbol of resurgent and aspirational India. It paved the way for a whole new ballgame in rail transportation, not a mere organic continuation of what IR had been used to producing in respect of trains, transformational leapfrog into the future of rail transport in India.

 

For four years the narrative, including mine, revolved around the subsequent negativity, victimization of the team, disappointment and dismay that only two trains were in service in spite of its success and patronage, rueing that its success became its nemesis as sadly in our country, a few good men have to contend with venal machinations of self-centred players all the time. Then came the transition to positivity circa mid-2021 with the PM making a definitive announcement on 15^th August 2021 that 75 Vande Bharat trains would run across the country in 75 weeks. The vibes reversed dramatically and there was a palpable push to manufacture of these trains like the proverbial blue streak. As the activities picked up at ICF in true earnest, the budget in 2022 sprang another surprise by the Finance Minister that 400 Vande Bharat trains would be manufactured in the coming three years.

 

A lot has changed since then. Another eight Vande Bharat trains are in service  on various routes in the country. ICF seems to have settled to make two trains per month and may expand it to three, or even four, trains per month in the course of this year. All the trains were launched by the PM himself, something unprecedented for a mere train. All the trains except one run to full occupancy. The trains have been received with great excitement and adulation by the travelling public. People throng, not only at originating and destination stations but even on wayside locations to catch a glimpse of the train.

 

All this is truly transformational. Lost in the discourse whether so many trains make sense without a matching infrastructure in place, many of us, just as I too, did not grasp the significance of the sea change that was in the offing in the field of passenger travel in India. Casting all the debate on numbers and infrastructure preparedness aside, let us look at what entails. By early 2024, we are likely to have 50 Vande Bharat trains, and sometime in 2025-26, the number may actually touch 200. The very face of IR is in for a makeover in less than three years.

 

This is what is going to happen and this is what one must examine with all positivity. This would not have happened had the ICF team not put together this train. But more importantly, this transformation has become a reality only, and only, because of the thrust given by the Prime Minister. It is inconceivable that such a metamorphosis would be possible without him recognizing the merit in the train and what it embodied; we would be lost in endless debate and inaction, with the two trains made by ICF fading into oblivion. Like it or not, the Vande Bharat face of IR has a dominating stamp of Narendra Modi. An incontrovertible truth.

 

Well, that settled, looking beyond 200 trains by 2025-26, what are the bottlenecks in reaching 500 trains in 3 to 4 years from now? Not too many. A committed planning and execution at this stage would make it possible. Let us examine that briefly.

 

ICF should certainly be able to able to add another 125 trains or so in this period. Added to that some sleeper trains could well take it beyond 125; Sleeper version is a must to replace Rajdhanis and ICF has been very late in catching up in spite of an initial thrust in 2018. I hope they take it up in real earnest and we have the prototype by early next year.

 

The tender for 200 Vande Bharat trains to be manufactured by rolling stock majors in Latur and ICF at the stage of ordering. Russia’s CJSC Transmashholding and Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (TMH-RVNL) consortium is the lowest bidder at Rs 120 crores per trains. The price quoted is very aggressive, thereby eliminating competent companies/consortiums like Alsthom, Siemens-BEML and Stadler-Medha and the dream of IR getting a more modern and efficient design vis-à-vis Vande Bharat but that is history. TMH-RVNL is likely to adopt the Vande Bharat design modified suitably for Sleeper interiors. Concerned stakeholders must work to ensure that this experiment succeeds in a win-win for all. While the Russian giant is the biggest and best-known Russian rolling stock company, they do not have any presence in India at present. A big relief for them must be that RVNL understands the Latur plant well as they only set it up against an order by IR. TMH has to prove that it can deliver in the IR eco-system and IR must help them to turn out a world-class product. TMH is a large capable au fait in the field, their representatives have been examining and assessing the major manufacturers of components and equipment in India for some time and if they continue with this commitment, they should be able to meet the rather stringent time line. That would give us 50 trains or so by 2026-27 and 120 in the next 5 to 6 years.

 

The order for another 80 trains to be manufactured in ICF is likely to go to Titagarh-BHEL as they are expected to accept the rate offered by TMH-RVNL. While Titagarh has proven itself as a train-builder, there are obvious doubts about BHEL’s capability to deliver the propulsion system, which they have not been able to do for similar other orders. I do not know the details but it is understood that BHEL would be a mere assembler and the system would be sourced from some established company; if that be so, a clear silver lining and we are looking at another 50 trains or so by 2026-27 and 80 in the next 4 to 5 years.

 

There are two more tenders: for 100 Aluminium-bodied 200 kmph-capable Vande Bharat trains and 100 concentrated-power train sets to be manufactured in Sonipat and ICF respectively. While the fate of the second tender is in some doubts, the first has opened with two bids from Alsthom and Stadler-Medha. One of them should get the order. This order, although certainly likely to be much more expensive than Rs 120 crore, would take the Vande Bharat experience to the next level of a truly world-class train. I am very hopeful that IR would decide this tender early and this would add 100 trains in the next five years or so.

 

Just do the math. It is very much on the cards that 400 to 500 Vande Bharat clones would run across India in five years. A mind-boggling change, a complete revision of the image of a hitherto sleepy organization. A very far-reaching intervention towards a developed India in Amrit kaal.

 

The ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus observed that the natural world was in a constant state of movement and people age, develop habits and move environments; shunning the beaten path, ‘the only constant is change’ should be the spirit of the day.

 

The infrastructure development to support that many trains, hopefully, would start soon. But for now, Narendra Modi dreams and visualizes and the nations executes, let that be the narrative!

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