RITES Limited, a leading transportation infrastructure consulting firm in India, in collaboration with ItalCertifier SPA, a subsidiary of the Italian State Railways Group, has been awarded a contract to conduct an independent safety assessment (ISA) of the Vande Bharat sleeper trains.
According to a statement from RITES, the contract was granted by Integral Coach Factory (ICF)-Chennai, a manufacturing unit under the Ministry of Railways.
The consortium is set to carry out design reviews, final safety acceptance assessments, and scrutinize test results. Through this agreement, RITES, the sole ISA-certified central public sector enterprise, has entered a new business domain and has expressed its dedication to enhancing ISA projects by utilizing its proficiency in the Quality Assurance field.
The company boasts a wealth of experience that spans more than five decades, having successfully completed projects in over 55 countries across Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East.
Meanwhile, as an excellent example of the ‘Make in India’ success story, the Indian Railways launched India’s first indigenous Semi High-Speed train, Vande Bharat Express. The first Vande Bharat Express train was flagged off on February 15, 2019, on the New Delhi-Kanpur-Allahabad-Varanasi route.
The Vande Bharat Express can run up to a maximum speed of 160 kmph and has travel classes like Shatabdi Train but with better facilities.
ICF, Chennai, a production unit of the Railways, has been the driving force behind a comprehensive in-house design and manufacturing process.
All coaches come with automatic doors, a GPS-based audio-visual passenger information system, on-board hotspot Wi-Fi for entertainment, and exceptionally comfortable seating. Additionally, the executive class offers the luxury of rotating chairs.
The Vande Bharat Express comprises of 16 coaches, all equipped with air-conditioning, out of which two are designated as executive class coaches. With a total seating capacity of 1,128 passengers, it surpasses the conventional Shatabdi rake with an equal number of coaches.
