BEML Wins Rs. 866 Cr. Order to Design & Manufacture India’s First High-Speed Trainsets

BEML Limited has received an order from Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai for designing and manufacturing two high-speed trainsets, together valued at Rs. 866.87 crore. Each of these trainsets will comprise 8 cars, and each car will cost Rs. 27.86 crore. BEML clarified in its release dated 15th October 2024 that the total contract amount includes “…design cost, one-time development cost, non-recurring charges, and one-time costs for jigs, fixtures, tooling, and testing facilities”.

These trainsets will be manufactured at BEML’s rail coach complex in Bengaluru, with delivery expected by the end of 2026.

BEML mentioned in its press release that this project represents a ‘major milestone’ in India’s high-speed rail development, and these will be the first domestically designed and manufactured trainsets with a test speed of 280 Km/h.

These trains will be part of India’s high-speed rail corridor (often dubbed as India’s bullet train), which will span 508 Km from Mumbai to Ahmedabad. Originally, the plan was to use Japanese E5 series Shinkansen trains, however, due to the high costs proposed by Japanese firms, the government opted to produce the trains locally.