BHEL-Titagarh, Alstom among 5 bidders for Vande Bharat

01 Dec 2022 CW Team

State-run Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) has formed a partnership with Titagarh Wagons to be among five entities bidding for the Rs 580 billion crore contract to manufacture 200 Vande Bharat trains and maintain them for 35 years.

Others in the fray are French railway major Alstom; the Medha-Stadler consortium between Swiss railway rolling stock manufacturer Stadler Rail and Hyderabad-based Medha Servo Drives; Siemens along with BEML; and Russian rolling stock manufacturer Transmashholding (TMH) along with an Indian firm.

Officials said the upfront payment on the delivery of the trains Rs 260 billion, while Rs 320 billion crore will be paid over a period of 35 years.

The Indian Railways is now evaluating technical bids for the contract. The financial bids will be opened in the next 45 days.

According to the tender document, the successful bidder has to produce a prototype of the sleeper class for Vande Bharat trains within 24 months. Indian Railways is targeting to roll out the first sleeper version of Vande Bharat train by the first quarter of 2024. So far, the railways has awarded contracts for manufacture of 102 Vande Bharat trains which are all chair car.

The Vande Bharat trains are expected to be a big upgrade from the premium Rajdhani Express service. The sleeper class-version of these trains will be run on the routes like New Delhi-Patna, New Delhi-Lucknow and others.

Infrastructure Urban

07 Oct 2025

India’s Rs 370 Bn Petrochemical Expansion to Shift Asian Supply

India’s planned investments worth over USD 37 billion (around Rs 3 lakh crore) in the petrochemical sector are poised to reshape Asia’s supply landscape, according to a new report by S&P Global Ratings.The report noted that India’s drive toward petrochemical self-sufficiency mirrors China’s earlier expansion and could intensify competition in the region. “India’s capacity additions will significantly alter trade flows and increase competition among Asian producers,” said Ker Liang Chan, credit analyst at S&P Global Ratings.S&P estimated that public sector enterprises ..

Maharashtra Sets Up Authority to Boost Self-Redevelopment

The Maharashtra government has established a Self-Redevelopment Authority to support citizens in independently redeveloping old buildings, marking a major policy step for Mumbai and the surrounding metropolitan region.BJP legislator and Mumbai District Central Cooperative Bank president Pravin Darekar will head the new Authority, which will offer end-to-end guidance on project planning, funding, developer selection, and execution. The initiative follows the approval of the state’s New Housing Policy earlier this year, which allocated Rs 2,000 crore to promote self-redevelopment.Officials sai..

MHADA Revises Premium and Payment Rules for Redevelopment

The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) has revised its 2007 redevelopment policy to make the redevelopment of ageing housing societies in Mumbai financially sustainable.The key change involves recalibrating premium charges for commercial floor space in projects under Regulation 33(5) of DCPR 2034. The new formula links premium rates to land value, market rate, and proposed usage, replacing the earlier rule that charged 1.5 times the residential rate for commercial areas.Developers’ body CREDAI-MCHI had sought parity between residential and commercial rates to encourag..