Railways will begin operating Vande Bharat trains on five additional routes on June 26, the first launch following the June 2 three-train catastrophe in Odisha that lost 288 lives. The semi-high-speed trains are expected to be launched through video conferencing by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The five Vande Bharat trains will run on the following routes: Mumbai-Goa, Bangalore-Hubli, Patna-Ranchi, Bhopal-Indore, and Bhopal-Jabalpur. Following the Odisha tragedy, the railway ministry canceled the inauguration of the Mumbai-Goa Vande Bharat train.
This will be the first time that five Vande Bharat trains begin service on the same day.
In the past, such launches have been met with much hoopla; but, in light of the Odisha catastrophe, this time will be a rather low-key affair.
On the other hand, Mobility Solutions Limited (MSL) has been granted a Rs 100 crore contract by Indian Railways to deliver and install numerous important components of the country’s first indigenous semi-high-speed Vande Bharat Express. MSC, a subsidiary of JCBL Group, is currently delivering and fulfilling the order.
The company would supply (a) a front mask or nose cone (eight pieces worth roughly Rs 2.4 crores), (b) 16 rakes of interior paneling with toilets (worth around Rs 76.58 crores), and (c) 16 coaches each rake as part of the contract.
The MSL is planned to supply the critical components to Chennai-based Integral Coach Factory (ICF) between FY 2023-24.
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