BHEL, Titagarh Rail Systems plan JV for Vande Bharat Sleeper maintenance (Image: Titagarh Rail/ Photo enhanced with AI)
Vande Bharat Sleeper trains: Titagarh Rail Systems Limited (TRSL) and Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) have decided to form a joint venture (JV) for the maintenance of Vande Bharat Sleeper trainsets. The TRSL has set a March 31 deadline to complete the car bodies for the first rake of the Vande Bharat Sleeper train.
It will manufacture 80 Vande Bharat Sleeper trainsets, each comprising 16 coaches. The contract value closes to Rs 24,000 crore and maintaining them for the next 35 years. The company is also targeting to rollout the first train by the third quarter of the financial year 2027.
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Vande Bharat Sleeper train maintenance: Titagarh, BHEL to form JV
In an exchange filing on March 19, Titagarh Rail Systems Limited said: “It is hereby informed that the Board of Directors of Titagarh Rail Systems Limited (TRSL) at its meeting held today i.e., 19th March, 2026 has approved formation of a Joint Venture Company with BHEL as a special purpose vehicle for Maintenance Obligations of VandeBharat Trains to be supplied by the (TRSL- BHEL) Consortium in accordance with the MCMA under Make-in-India initiative for Atma Nirbhar Bharat program of GOI.”
In a separate exchange filing, BHEL said: “Joint Venture (JV) Agreement and authorisation for seeking clearance of DIPAM for formation of Joint Venture Company with M/s Titagarh Rail Systems Limited for comprehensive maintenance of the supplied Vande Bharat Sleeper Trains. After clearance of DIPAM, the JV agreement will be finalized with modificaƟons, if any. Details as required under SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015 will be disclosed once JV agreement is signed.”
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Vande Bharat Sleeper train tender
The Ministry of Railways awarded the contract to manufacture Vande Bharat Sleeper trains to three companies: BEML, Kinet Railway Solutions (a Joint Venture between Russian rolling stock major TMH and Rail Vikas Nigam Limited – RVNL) and a consortium of Titagarh Rail Systems Limited and Bharat Heavy Engineering Limited (BHEL).
The Howrah-Kamakhya-Howrah Vande Bharat Sleeper train which was launched in January 2026 was developed by BEML using Chennai-based Integral Coach Factory (ICF) technology.
