400 new Vande Bharat trains to be built

New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday announced that 400 new Vande Bharat trains will be developed and manufactured over the next three years and new products will be introduced by the Railways for the benefit of small farmers and MSMEs.

The Railways has received an allocation of Rs 14,0367.13 crore in the 2022-23 Union Budget on Tuesday which is Rs 20,311 crore more than the revised figures of the previous fiscal. Presenting the Union Budget for 2022-23, she said contracts for multi-modal parks at four locations will be awarded during the next fiscal. "400 new-generation Vande Bharat trains with better energy efficiency and passenger riding experience will be developed and manufactured during the next three years," she said.

These new train sets are going to be made of light-weight aluminium, as opposed to steel, making each around 50 tonnes lighter in weight, consuming much less energy than their steel counterparts, she said. While the finance minister said that the trains will be manufactured and developed over the next three years, it is not clear when they will be operational.

"Railways will develop new products and efficient logistics services for small farmers and Small and Medium Enterprises, besides taking the lead in integration of Postal and Railways networks to provide seamless solutions for movement of parcels. "One Station-One Product concept will be popularized to help local businesses and supply chains," she said.

As a part of Atmanirbhar Bharat, 2,000 km network will be brought under 'Kavach', the indigenous world-class technology for safety and capacity augmentation in 2022-23, she said. The finance minister said 100 PM GatiShakti Cargo Terminals for multi-modal logistics facilities will be developed during the next three years.

Innovative ways of financing and faster implementation will be encouraged for building metro systems of appropriate type at scale. Multi-modal connectivity between mass urban transport and railway stations will be facilitated on priority.