NEW DELHI, September 3. /TASS/. A joint Russian-Indian site for production and maintenance of electric trains has been launched in India, Alexandra Meluzova, project manager from Transmashholding (TMH) told TASS.

According to her, the production site will be involved in the implementation of the contract for the production and maintenance of Vande Bharat electric trains for the needs of Indian Railways with a total value of up to $6.5 billion.

"The basis of a modern stable transport system is high-quality rolling stock. Our project, an important stage of which we are launching here, makes a significant contribution to the development of the industry, and most importantly, to strengthening the friendship between our countries. We have a highly professional international team and an ambitious goal, towards which we have taken another step today," she said.

The site is located in the city of Latur in the state of Maharashtra in central India. It will be equipped with a modern assembly line, including a body shop, warehouse, assembly, testing, bogie and paint shops. The length of internal railway tracks will be 8.6 km. In addition to the upgrade of production, the contract includes the launch of an engineering center and the upgrade of three service depots in different cities for subsequent servicing of equipment.

TMH was involved in the execution of the contract as the owner of unique engineering competencies, as well as experience in launching large-scale production of rolling stock," the company reported.

It is expected that Vande Bharat electric trains will provide a new level of comfort on long-distance routes, as well as a reduction in average travel time. A distributed energy system will allow these trains to accelerate to a speed of 160 km per hour. They will be equipped with regenerative braking and on-board diagnostics systems, additional noise insulation, modern automatic doors with touch control, sealed inter-car passages, as well as berths and toilets for people with disabilities.

About the agreement

In March 2023, the TMH-led consortium won an international tender worth $6.5 billion for the development, production and 35-year service of 1,920 long-distance electric train cars Vande Bharat in three service classes. The contract was signed in September of the same year. This is one of the largest contracts for the supply of railway equipment in recent years.

The Indian railway network is one of the most extensive and the fourth largest in the world. In the 2022-2023 financial year, the number of passengers on Indian Railways increased by more than 80%, reaching 6.23 billion people, compared to 3.44 billion in the 2021-2022 financial year.

The Indian railway system is preparing for a global transformation to improve the quality of services provided. By 2047, Indian Railways expects to become the world leader in rail transport, stimulating economic growth and improving the quality of life of the population.

About the company

TMH is a leading manufacturer of railway and urban rail transport in Russia and the CIS. The company offers a full range of products and services: from design and engineering to upgrade, life cycle service contracts and digital traffic management systems. The holding's structure includes more than 10 production and assembly sites in Russia and other countries, the geography of deliveries covers more than 30 countries.