Aluminium Dream of Indian Railways! Stillborn or Killed?

We have been hearing a lot about Aluminum (Al) trains ever since Integral Coach Factory (ICF) issued a tender for twenty train sets in 2017—aggressively named Train 20 with a view to turn it out from ICF by end 2020. By the end of 2018, though, the project was all but shelved. The issue resurfaced when Indian Railways (IR) issued a tender for 100 Al-bodied, 16-coach train sets capable of operating at speeds up to 200 km/h. The 200 km/h goal seemed overly ambitious, considering that India currently lacks the tracks for such speeds and is unlikely to build them in the foreseeable future but nevertheless, a bold move. There was a buzz in the global arena that India was finally waking up to its potential for expansion into modern passenger transportation, leveraging the volume game like China did two decades ago—a strategy that only large countries can afford.

 

During my visit to InnoTrans 2022 in Berlin, I observed and wrote:

 

The gap between where India stood and where the world—particularly Europe, Japan, and even China—had advanced was like a massive chasm. It was an eye-opener and a reality check. But while pigs had not exactly started flying, the Indian bird had indeed begun to flutter. There was a distinct positive shift in the way European manufacturers responded to interest from Indian companies and their invitations to collaborate. These changes in attitudes and perspectives were not incidental. Nearly all the rail component manufacturers I met had heard of Train 18/Vande Bharat, our indigenous semi-high-speed train, Kavach, the indigenous signaling system, and the proliferation of Metros, RRTSs, and so on. They were largely aware of the major push toward acquiring thousands of high-power locomotives and hundreds of train sets. What had once been civility masking patronization and condescension had shifted to curiosity, attentiveness, and respect.

 

This was good news. It came about due to the government's positive resolve and action. But this momentum would last only as long as we continued on this newly discovered path of decisiveness. Should procrastination and indecision creep in at this crucial stage, we risked returning to square one. I sincerely hoped that things would continue to progress because that held the key to a quantum leap in railway technology in India.

 

Now, a quick recap on Al-bodied trains: The carbody contributes approximately 28% of the weight of the coach. To reduce the weight of the train set for higher energy efficiency and even cost savings, it is imperative to reduce the carbody weight. The existing stainless steel carbodies of LHB or Vande Bharat trains are already optimized, and significant weight reductions are only feasible by switching to a lighter material. The current worldwide choice for carbody material is Aluminum. Coupled with more extensive use of Aluminum in interiors and other sub-assemblies, Aluminum carbody coaches can be designed and manufactured to be approximately 10 to 15% lighter. Other advantages of Aluminum include improved aesthetics (no undulations), superior corrosion resistance, and reduced maintenance requirements.

A word of caution, a caveat: It is not that Stainless Steel coaches have become obsolete in the advanced world, a god number is manufactured even today. However, for a vast railway network like India's, it is crucial to stay sustainable by making long-term decisions grounded in practical, home-grown experience—essentially, letting the results speak for themselves—rather than relying solely on theoretical analyses that are plentiful and to that end, we must try out Aluminium coaches.

 

Below, I've reproduced two news items that suggest the Al-bodied train set tender—and possibly the entire plan—has been scrapped. This development could significantly influence how IR evolves its passenger segment and equally important, how it is perceived on the global rolling stock stage.

 

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/high-costs-may-derail-plan-for-aluminum-vande-bharat-coaches/articleshow/112505721.cms

 

https://www.businesstoday.in/latest/economy/story/indian-railways-cancels-rs-30000-crore-tender-for-100-vande-bharat-trains-to-alstom-india-report-441273-2024-08-13

I assume that both the reports are based on information provided by IR, after all these publications are not particularly averse to publishing verbatim whatever IR hands them, without adding their own commentary. I will highlight the key points of the two in blue followed by my own tuppenny:

 

Railways may not go for Al-bodied Vande Bharat trains with sleeper facility because of high cost and considering that no Indian company has the knowhow. It is instead planning to manufacture 24-coach sleeper version of these modern trains that can travel at higher speeds. Sources said besides high cost, manufacture of these trains requires import of foreign technology.

 

High cost and lack of know-how in India, really? Was this not apparent when the tender was issued? After facing backlash for pushing the ‘elitist’ Vande Bharat trains while neglecting the needs of ordinary travelers, it seems the ministry has lost the appetite for pursuing meaningful projects. Now, they are trying to mask their lack of decisiveness with the convenient smokescreen of cost-consciousness and Atmanirbhar.

 

As for the coaches for everyday passengers, we've already witnessed the ministry’s fickle approach—first, a full-throttle push for AC coaches, only to reverse course and focus on non-AC coaches, leaving RMPU manufacturers high and dry. It is never an either-or scenario; the ministry could achieve both goals if they had a clear roadmap, not one swayed by fleeting trends.

 

High cost is a matter of perspective (more about it later), and bold decisions in finalizing such contracts come from inner conviction, not from the polished rhetoric in which the ministry has, unfortunately, become well-versed to its own detriment.

 

Yes, it is true that Indian companies, and IR (read ICF, the vanguard of coach design), currently lack the full expertise to design Al-bodied trains. Indian manufacturers would need to navigate a steep learning curve to master the intricate welding techniques required for these shells. Furthermore, India lacks the necessary infrastructure—plants and machinery—to produce the extrusions essential for aluminum carbodies. These challenges are no secret, and one would expect that such a significant tender would have taken them into account. When we undertook the ambitious Train 20 project, we were fully aware of these limitations and crafted the tender accordingly, even though it was limited to just 20 trains. The current environment, with its unprecedented railway investments, is far more conducive to large-scale technology acquisition, assimilation and investments in facilities by private sector—a trend that is likely to stabilize or even grow. If they have decided to scrap the Al-bodied train project altogether, it would be nothing short of a colossal step backward.

 

This flimsy attempt to justify a 24-coach, higher-speed Vande Bharat is just another desperate effort to find virtue in a lost cause. The 24-coach configuration is something IR has been pushing for, even in the existing contract for 16-coach stainless steel Vande Bharats, so it could just as easily be applied to this tender. And as for the so-called "higher speed", it is bunged around casually, much like the absurd directive from the ministry for ICF to produce 240 kmph train sets in 2024-25. ICF could indeed be tasked with designing and developing train sets in the 200-240 kmph range, but that will happen only with strong leadership, unwavering commitment, and the freedom to act—not through bureaucrats issuing decrees from their desks in Delhi, and in a tight but doable time frame of 3 to 4 years.

 

Sources said the Alstom had quoted Rs 150.9 cr. per trainset, but railways' tender panel had recommended that the price not be more than 140 cr.  Alstom had intended to close the deal for approximately 145 cr but no agreement could be reached. Earlier, IR had bid out a contract to manufacture 200 Vande Bharat Sleeper trainsets at Rs 120 cr. per rake.

 

IR managed to secure an attractive price of ₹120 cr. for the SS Vande Bharat trains, but will it be correct to count our chickens before they hatch—the project is a work in progress and in any case, the price is now 2 year old? To compare that price point with the current contract is to indulge in a half-baked assessment. It would be intriguing, to say the least, to examine the so-called ₹140 cr. costing done by ICF or IR, which lack anything resembling a competent costing department. Did they resort to some ridiculous unitary method calculation, comparing SS and Al raw material prices? How exactly did they factor in the cost of design, technology, infrastructure, tooling, training etc. or did they do it at all?

 

I have no interest in playing advocate for Alstom, nor am I here to justify the ₹145 cr. price tag. What is important is that the difference between the cap and the negotiated price was merely 3% odd. Could IR not have pressed harder in negotiations, because getting a lower quote in the future will not be a walk in the park. And if it turns out that way, will IR not end up with egg on its face? Even Titagarh Firema, the Indian multinational responsible for India’s first major Al-bodied train order for Pune Metro, might struggle to operate under a ₹140 cr. cap. After all, they themselves submitted a similar offer for the SS Vande Bharat, and only agreed to the ₹120 cr. price because they were obliged to match the lowest bid from the Russian consortium and no Indian company could let such an opportunity pass by. 

Or is this fiasco something to do with the necessity to change the manufacturing site from ICF to somewhere else under the pressure of the unions? Even if so, this was not something unsurmountable!

 

An Alstom spokesperson said the company's offer for 100 Al-bodied trains was a very competitive offer, and the lowest when benchmarked against similar trains produced globally. According to a report in Moneycontrol, Alstom India MD Olivier Loison said that while IR has cancelled the order, the company is well-positioned to support the realisation of the vision in the future, if the need arises.

 

True and fair enough, reflecting their unstated disappointment. But really, what else could we expect from a company deeply invested in India and angling for more opportunities?

 

Another official, highlighting the importance of competition to get the best price, said that the next round of tender would invite multiple players, unlike the latest one that involved only two players. The eligibility norms to qualify for the tender includes a research and development (R&D) facility to ensure they can manufacture a prototype and also have the capacity to assemble at least five train sets a year.

 

Ah, the irony! It was not that only two companies were invited—it is that only that only two bothered to participate. What magic wand does IR plan to wave to tweak eligibility criteria and attract more players? The only thing that comes to mind is elimination of the hollow ambition of 200 kmph capability—a mere ornament in the absence of tracks that can support such speeds. It might offer a slight advantage, but it is hardly going to move the needle on price.

The cancellation of this tender is no small matter, and let’s be clear—hiding behind the tired excuses of a mere 3% higher price, gaps in local expertise, and lack of competition simply does not cut it.

 

The strange dodder of Indian Railways could make one exclaim, like Lear in the bard’s King Lear, “...O, that way madness lies; let me shun that...”, but I am a railway man for life, albeit powerless, for whom, the poet Zauq has already written:

Behtar to hai yahī ki na duniyā se dil lage 

par kyā kareñ jo kaam na be-dil-lagī chale

(It is certainly better to not involve one’s heart in this world but what can one do as things do not work without attaching one’s heart to it.)

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