ICF to roll out first Vande Metro by December this year

After the success of the semi-high speed Vande Bharat trains, the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai has begun developing a Metro variant of the train to ply on short-distance routes with space for standees, effectively replacing the Mainline Electric Multiple Units (MEMU).

The first prototype of the Vande Metro will be rolled out from the ICF by December-end.

Like Vande Bharat, Vande Metro trains will also be fully air-conditioned (AC) and is being designed to run at a maximum speed of 130 km per hour with facilities like automatic doors, better toilets, and infotainment.

The ICF is also planning to roll out by March 2024-end -- first train in the sleeper variant which will have 11 AC 3-tier coaches, four AC two-tier coaches, and one 1^st Class AC coach which will be deployed in trains that run on routes above 600 km.

“Vande Metro will have almost all facilities available in the Vande Bharat except for pantry cars. The trains will have space for standees as it will run on short-distance routes. Each coach will have seating facilities for 100 passengers and space for over 200 standees,” B G Mallya, General Manager, ICF, told DH.

He said that the new train variant will have better acceleration as every alternate coach will have a power pack under the coach as compared to every fourth in the existing MEMUs.

“In this train, six coaches will have underslung power packs which will help in better acceleration of the train,” Mallya added.

Primarily designed for intercity short distance commuter travel, the Vande Metro will have double leaf doors for easy boarding and deboarding.

“The first prototype of Vande Metro will be ready by December-end,” the ICF GM said.

These AC trains can be deployed to cover distances within 200-250 kms from big cities like Chennai and Mumbai.

Launched as Train 18 and rechristened as Vande Bharat, the trains that are designed to run at a maximum speed of 180 kmph are indigenously manufactured at the ICF since 2018, and as many as 25 pairs of premium train sets ply between cities across the country. Another five train sets are to be pressed into service soon.

On Vande Sleeper, Mallya said that the trains are designed to have a pantry in every alternate coach to ensure enough food availability for passengers travelling in it.

“We are working on the train model and we will come out with the first prototype by the end of this 2023-2024 financial year,” he added.