The Ministry of Railways has approved the manufacture of two new trainsets with a design speed of 220 kmph, marking the next phase of semi-high-speed rollout. The Railway Board has authorised the inclusion of two 16-coach trainsets under the Coach Production Programme for 2027-28, with production assigned to the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai. The move follows the deployment of Vande Bharat as the current fastest train with a design speed of 180 kmph and an expanding fleet of services.

Each trainset will be built as a broad gauge rake with a steel body and a maximum operating speed set at 200 kmph. The specification aims to balance higher design speed with practical operating limits on the current network. The two trainsets will offer uniform coach composition across 16 coaches per rake and are planned as part of efforts to scale up domestic trainset manufacturing capacity.

In October 2024, the Integral Coach Factory awarded a contract for high-speed trainset design and manufacture to Bharat Earth Movers Limited. The contract terms set the price of each car at Rs 278.6 million (mn) per car and the total contract value at Rs 8.6687 billion (bn). The contract includes design cost, one-time development charges, tooling and testing facilities.

Coach production will be spread across existing manufacturing units including the Integral Coach Factory, Rail Coach Factory at Kapurthala and Modern Coach Factory at Raebareli, which already produce mainline LHB coaches and various trainsets. Officials expect the 16-coach rakes to be manufactured under the Coach Production Programme in 2027-28 and to integrate with ongoing fleet modernisation and regional connectivity plans. The initiative is presented as a scaling step in high-speed train capability for Indian Railways.