Indian Railways is reportedly eager to acquire 24-coach trains, as outlined in the contract. A senior official, knowledgeable of the situation, explained that the contract terms allow for adjustments in the number of coaches per rake, with options for 12-, 16-, or 24-coach trains, without any increase in cost.

The contract to supply and maintain 200 sleeper trains was awarded to Kinet Railway Solutions, along with a consortium of Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) and Titagarh Rail Systems (TRS) in mid-2023. Though prototype trains were meant to be presented within a year, both suppliers have yet to commence work on them.

In a separate development, BEML and Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai were awarded a contract to supply 10 trains. Some coaches from the BEML-ICF prototype were showcased earlier in the month, with the first commercial rollout expected later this year.

Kinet Railway Solutions, a joint Indo-Russian venture, was tasked with supplying 120 sleeper variant trains at a cost of Rs 120 crore per 16-coach rake. The BHEL-TRS consortium is to supply 80 trains at the same cost. A spokesperson from Kinet Railway Solutions confirmed that discussions with Indian Railways are ongoing to finalise the changes requested. Once the scope change details are agreed upon, a revised project timeline will be set. Kinet remains committed to delivering the contract in full cooperation with Indian Railways.