Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday said that the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai will focus on manufacturing standard gauge Vande Bharat coaches for export. He was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of Qualcomm’s Design Center in Chennai.
The Vande Bharat coaches produced at ICF are presently operational within the Indian Railway network.
“If we have to export Vande Bharat rakes five years from now, we have to start the process of designing, testing, getting national and international approval. It is a lengthy process,” Vaishnaw said.
“This will add to the export potential of ICF.”
Vaishnaw also announced that production of forged wheels will commence within 16-18 months in Gummidipoondi, Tamil Nadu.
“This manufacturing unit will have a production capacity of 2.5 lakh per year. Of this, 80000 will be consumed in India and the remaining 1.7 lakh will be exported,” Vaishnaw said.
The establishment of this facility will mark India’s transition from being an importer to an exporter of forged wheels, he added.
(Inputs from ANI)