Vande Bharat must make most procurement locally

28 Jan 2021 CW Team

Indian Railways has awarded a Rs 2,211 crore tender to Hyderabad-based Medha Servo Drives Ltd for procurement of Vande Bharat Express (Train 18). The Indian Railways put a condition that the tender would require that a minimum of 75% be made locally.

The contract includes design, manufacture, supply and other equipment required for making the sets for 44 rakes and 16 cars each. These train sets will be manufactured at three production units of Indian Railways—24 rakes at Integral Coach Factory (ICF), 10 rakes at Modern Coach Factory (MCF) and 10 rakes at Rail Coach Factory (RCF).

The Ministry of Railways (MoR) said the delivery schedule for the supply of the first two prototype rakes would be in 20 months and after successful commissioning, the Hyderabad-based firm would deliver an average of six rakes per quarter.

A five-year comprehensive annual maintenance contract with the supplier has been included in the procurement. The specifications were prepared after multiple deliberations with the industry at various levels for manufacturing the train sets indigenously. Whether three-quarters indigenous procurement is feasible in reality is not known at present.

Image Source

4th Indian Cement Review Conference 2021

17-18 March

Click for event info

Real Estate

05 Sep 2025

Vitizen Hotels Signs Deal at Manyata Tech Park

Vikram Kamats Hospitality, as part of its ongoing expansion in key metropolitan markets, announced that its material subsidiary, Vitizen Hotels, has signed a long-term lease agreement for a 45-key hotel property at Manyata Tech Park, Bengaluru.Strategically located in the city’s prominent IT hub, the property is well-positioned to serve corporate travelers, business professionals, and long-stay guests. The addition aligns with the company’s asset-light growth model, leveraging long-term leases to expand its footprint in high-demand urban markets.The hotel is expected to strengthen the comp..

CONCOR Signs MoU with BPIPL to Operate Container Terminal at Bhavnagar Port

Container Corporation of India (CONCOR) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bhavnagar Port Infrastructure (BPIPL) on September 4, 2025, in New Delhi to operate and maintain the upcoming container terminal at the northside of Bhavnagar Port, Gujarat.BPIPL had earlier entered into an agreement with the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) in September 2024 for the port’s development. Under this arrangement, 235 hectares of land has been leased to BPIPL for 30 years, with provision for expansion by an additional 250 hectares.The new terminal is expected to significantly enhance logistic..

Concord Launches India’s First Indigenous Zero-Emission Rail Propulsion

Concord Control Systems (CCSL), a leader in embedded electronics and critical rail technologies, has announced the development of India’s first fully indigenous zero-emission propulsion system, marking a significant step toward the country’s railway electrification and net-zero goals for 2030.Powered by Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) batteries and featuring a DC chopper-based drive, the propulsion system eliminates idling losses common in diesel engines, offering higher efficiency, lower costs, and zero emissions.What sets this innovation apart is its completely indigenous design. Except for..