India is actively exploring the possibility of exporting Vande Bharat trains, announced Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw during the Global Business Summit. The Indian Railways has been fielding inquiries from various countries, including distant ones like Chile, expressing interest in procuring the flagship locomotive. To facilitate this initiative, the rail ministry is enhancing its manufacturing capacity by producing a wide array of components in its workshops, as well as engaging public and private sector units with indigenous expertise and designs.
Addressing the Summit, Vaishnaw underscored the successful challenge of developing the Vande Bharat train domestically by Indian engineers. He expressed confidence that India would soon commence exporting these trains. Presently, the count of operational Vande Bharat trains stands at 82, with efforts underway to elevate their speed to 160 kilometres per hour on routes like New Delhi-Mumbai and New Delhi-Howrah.
Providing an update, Vaishnaw noted that as of January 31, 2024, there are 82 operational Vande Bharat train services nationwide, connecting states with broad gauge electrified networks. He emphasized that the provision of train services, including the introduction of new ones like Vande Bharat, remains an ongoing process, contingent upon operational feasibility, traffic demand, and resource availability within the Indian Railways framework.
