India Export Semi-High-Speed ‘Vande Bharat’ Trains to Bangladesh
Photo: Agamir Somoy
India is set to supply semi-high-speed ‘Vande Bharat’ trains to Bangladesh. Officials from the country’s Ministry of Railways have said that preliminary work has already begun on manufacturing standard-gauge coaches for export. They noted that these modern trains will be exported at relatively lower costs in the international market while maintaining advanced technological standards.
According to officials of the Indian Ministry of Railways, representatives from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and several other countries have already visited to assess the overall situation regarding the potential procurement of Vande Bharat trains. During these visits, the design of the standard-gauge Vande Bharat coaches was also presented to the visiting delegations. The trains will be exported once domestic demand in India is partially met.
It is worth noting that most of the world’s railway networks operate on standard-gauge tracks. However, India’s current Vande Bharat trains run on broad-gauge lines. Broad gauge is generally more durable and suitable for long-distance, heavy-load travel.
On the other hand, standard gauge is typically used for metro systems in urban areas and short-distance high-speed rail operations.
Railway officials said that the design work for standard-gauge Vande Bharat coaches is now in its final stage. Once completed, the trains will be fully ready for export.
Meanwhile, Indian Railways engineering firm RITES has stated that a special track is being constructed for trial runs of these trains. There are also plans to export the trains to multiple countries, which is expected to further increase global interest in Vande Bharat trains.
A few weeks earlier, India’s Ministry of External Affairs had also provided information regarding the export of high-speed diesel to Bangladesh. During a briefing in New Delhi, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that such decisions are being made based on India’s domestic requirements and overall conditions.
Jaiswal stated that 22,000 metric tons of high-speed diesel were supplied to Bangladesh in March. Additionally, 38,000 metric tons of petroleum products were provided to Sri Lanka last month.
The spokesperson also noted that fuel is being supplied to Bangladesh through the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline. He added that Bangladesh’s request for increased fuel supply has also been approved.
