Dikhyaa Mohanty 
The Railways plans to operate 102 Vande Bharat trains by March 2024. Railway officials say 102 Vande Bharat trains would be commissioned by early 2024. The Train18, later named Vande Bharat Express, was rolled out by the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai. It was showcased as India’s first semi high-speed train with the operational efficiency of 160 kmph and a game-changer.
After the announcement of 75 Vande Bharat trains, the Ministry of Railways has floated tenders for manufacturing 58 rakes, each comprising 16 coaches. Tenders have already been floated for making 44 rakes.
According to the reports, in the fresh tenders, the Ministry of Railways insisted on the compliance of the Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India) Order 2017. The new tender published invited bids for design, development, manufacture and supply of equipment for three-phase propulsion and components for train sets as per Research Design & Standards Organisation specifications. Of the 58 rakes of 16-car composition, 30 would be rolled out from the ICF, Chennai, 14 from the Modern Coach Factory, Raebareli and 14 from the Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala.
The report further added that while contractors should certify the percentage of local (fully indigenous) components and imported items, the tender conditions laid down that the eligibility for bidders from a country that shared land border with India to participate in the tender would be governed by the Public Procurement Orders of the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance.
