India Plans to Export Vande Bharat Trains, Develops Standard-Gauge Version

India is preparing to take its indigenously built Vande Bharat Express trains to overseas markets. To make this possible, Indian Railways and its engineering consultancy arm are working on a new standard-gauge version of the semi-high-speed train. This is a step towards positioning India as a supplier of modern and cost-competitive rail products in the global market.

At present, Vande Bharat trains are made only in the broad-gauge version for use within India. They are manufactured at the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai, the Rail Coach Factory in Kapurthala, and the Modern Coach Factory in Raebareli. However, most railway networks around the world run on the narrower standard-gauge track, so a redesigned platform is needed before the trains can be exported.

Broad-gauge tracks are wider and built for heavy, long-distance stability, while standard-gauge is the global norm for urban and inter-city travel. Developing a standard-gauge platform therefore opens a much larger export market.

Interest in the trains has already come from neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal, as well as from some countries in Latin America and Africa. India's growing presence in the rolling-stock and consultancy business in Africa adds to this potential.

For exam aspirants, this is an example of India's push for self-reliance (Atmanirbhar Bharat) in manufacturing and its move from being an importer to an exporter of high-technology products.