Indian Railways eyeing “$200 billion market” by exporting Train 18 sets

Indian Railways eyeing “$200 billion market” by exporting Train 18 sets

PW Bureau

The Rs 100-crore train, manufactured by Integral Coach Factory, is India's first engineless train which hit speeds of over 180 kmph during a trial run on a section of the Delhi-Rajdhani route

New Delhi: The Indian Railways' fastest train — Train 18 — is looking to export Train 18-like train sets to countries in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, South America, North America and Europe, after having already attracted interest from many, Rakesh Agrawal, Member Rolling Stock, said. "There is a 200 billion USD rolling stock market in the world, in which our (Indian Railways) share is negligible. We hope to change that with Train 18," Rajesh Agrawal said.

"On an average, around the world a coach similar to that in Train 18 costs around Rs 24-25 crore. In India, we are making it at approximately Rs 6 crore. That's a huge cost benefit for any country that places an order with Indian Railways." 

The Rs 100-crore train, manufactured by Integral Coach Factory, is India's first engineless train which hit speeds of over 180 kmph during a trial run on a section of the Delhi-Rajdhani route. The new train will operate between Delhi and Varanasi, replacing Shatabdi trains.

"On an average, around the world a coach similar to that in Train 18 costs around Rs 24-25 crore. In India, we are making it at approximately Rs 6 crore. That's a huge cost benefit for any country that places an order with Indian Railways," Agrawal said.

"Apart from that, Train 18 is both environment and passenger friendly, so it's a win-win situation. We can also modify features based on demand," Agrawal said.

Indian Railways officials have stated that the train has the capability of attaining a top speed of 200 kilometres per hour if the tracks and signal system work in tandem.

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