NE BUSINESS BUREAU
CHENNAI, SEP 21
The staff at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) celebrated the successful rolling out of the third Vande Bharat (Version 2.0) train despite challenges by distributing sweets here on Tuesday.
“ICF General Manager AK Agarwal, and other Heads of Departments distributed sweets to about 9,800 ICF staff and the Act Apprentices who are getting trained in the ICF Technical Training Centre, for the successful turning out of the 3rd rake of Vande Bharat Express rake (version 2.0) despite the challenges ICF had to face in the form of supply hits due to pandemic and the Russia-Ukranian War,” says a Southern Railway release.
Shri A.K. Agarwal, General Manager and other Principal Heads of Departments distributed sweets on 20.09.2022 to the employees for successful roll-out of third Vande Bharat Express rake pic.twitter.com/QGnG4tpYtL
— Integral Coach Factory Chennai (@proicfindrlys) September 21, 2022
ICF General Manager AK Agarwal said, “Railway Minister Ahswini Vaishnaw expressed his satisfaction and happiness and lauded the performance of Team ICF in turning out the current rake of Vande Bharat Express which is likely to be put in service shortly.”
He added that ICF staff and officers always raise to the occasion and finish projects well in time and the turning out of the 3rd Vande Bharat Express is a shining example of the same.
It is pertinent to mention here that ICF is planning to turn out 27 Vande Bharat Train sets – chair car version- in the current production year (2022-23) and another 75 such trains by next August 15 – India’s Independence Day.
“While Vande Bharat train is a passenger carrier, the ICF is planning a freight train on the same platform called Gati Shakti Freight Train,” said sources.
Simply put, the freight express will be flat bed rakes on which containers will be loaded.
It is learnt, the ICF is planning to make a cabin with one or two flat wagons to test the proposed freight train’s pulling power.
The freight train is targeted at the electronic commerce segment for whom faster delivery of goods is important.
It is learnt another 100 Vande Bharat Express trains – sleeper version – will be made at ICF and at the Marathwada Rail Coach Factory at Latur in Maharashtra in a public-private-participation (PPP) mode.
