Titagarh Wagons-BHEL consortium emerges second lowest bidder for Vande Bharat trains

A Vande Bharat Express train (Image: PTI)

The Titagarh Wagons Limited-Bharat Electricals Limited (BHEL) consortium has emerged as the second-lowest bidder for the Vande Bharat trainsets, the company announced on March 2.

Titagarh Wagons said in a stock exchange filing that the TWL-BHEL consortium has emerged as the second-lowest bidder for “manufacturing cum Maintenance of Vande Bharat trainsets including up-gradation of the Government Manufacturing Units & Trainset Depot”.

The Russian CJSC Transmashholding-RVNL consortium is the lowest bidder for 200 Vande Bharat trains. Officials have said that the BHEL and Titagarh Wagons consortium will be given a chance to match the lowest bid to bag a share of the tender, PTI reported.

Also read: Railway stocks surge on lowest bid for Vande Bharat trains

BHEL-Titagarh Wagons had quoted Rs 140 crore a train set, while the lowest bid is Rs 120 crore per trainset.

“As per the financial bid opening dated March 1, 2023, the TWL-BHEL consortium has been declared L2. The total quantity is 200 trainsets and as per tender conditions, L2 is eligible to get 80 trainsets. The quote of L1 bidder is Rs 120 crores per trainset,” TWL said in the exchange filing.

A PTI report quoted sources as saying that the consortium of TMH and Indian public sector unit RVNL has bid Rs 120 crore per train set, which is less than the cost of the last Vande Bharat trains manufactured by ICF-Chennai at Rs 128 crore a set.

French railway major Alstom, the Medha-Stadler consortium between the Swiss railway rolling stock manufacturer Stadler Rail and Hyderabad-based Media Servo Drives, and Siemens were the other players in the fray for the tender.

The contract, which is worth Rs 58,000 crore, is to manufacture 200 Vande Bharat trains and maintain them for the next 35 years.