Indian Railways to invest US$ 2.17 billion (Rs. 18,000 crores) to upgrade depots for Vande Bharat trains

The Indian Railways is planning to invest US$ 2.17 billion (Rs. 18,000 crores) to upgrade its locomotive maintenance facilities for the semi-high speed Vande Bharat trains, in order to overcome the lack of adequate maintenance depots.

According to a Senior Railway Ministry official, the depot upgrade works would be carried out across the whole country for appropriate maintenance of the Vande Bharat trains that are planned for introduction over the coming months. It has been estimated that upgrading a depot will cost around US$ 37.7 million (Rs. 312 crores) for railways.

Currently, seven Vande Bharat Express trains are being run and the government also has plans to introduce 75 Vande Bharat trains by August 2023. A total of 475 Vande Bharat trains are being planned to run. There are currently 58 maintenance depots that can hold 100 Vande Bharat trains, according to the Railway Board. In addition to it, the report also said the Indian Railways is working to improve the track infrastructure and stations and around 25,000 km of new tracks are being aimed to be built.

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