A Vande Bharat Express. (Inset: TMC MP Saket Gokhale)
Credit: PTI Photos
Delhi: Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale has alleged that the Railways has inflated the cost of manufacturing Vande Bharat sleeper trains, a charge denied by the Ministry.
Gokhale claimed that the Railways had in 2023 awarded a Rs 58,000-crore contract for manufacturing 200 trains but last week it tweaked the number to 133 at the same cost. He claimed that as per the earlier contract, one train cost Rs 290 crore (Rs 130 crore for manufacture and Rs 160 crore for maintenance), but when the contract was revised it became Rs 435 crore for a single train (Rs 190 crore for manufacture and Rs 240 crore for maintenance).
However, the Ministry of Railways rebutted the MP's allegations and asked him to "stop spreading misinformation and fake news".
"Cost per coach multiplied by the number of coaches equals the cost of the train. In sleeper projects, cost per coach is lower than all benchmarks because of the transparency in process. We have increased the number of coaches from 16 to 24 to make longer trains, keeping the total number of coaches in contract constant. This is because there is high demand for train travel," it said.
"Earlier: 200 trains X 16 coaches = 3,200. Revised: 133 trains X 24 coaches = 3,192. The total contract value has actually reduced because there are economies when train length is increased. We are making a record number of non AC coaches (12,000) looking at the high demand for railway travel," it said.
However, Gokhale countered it calling the Ministry's argument as "ridiculous because the contract is awarded 'per train' and not 'per coach'. Train costs involve more than just 'making coaches'. This is the stupidest cover up ever. The contract Rs 58,000 crores revised from 200 to just 133 trains. Cost per train went up shockingly from Rs 290 crore to Rs 435 crore".
He asked Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav to explain who is benefitting from this.