Railway Board Approves RCF Kapurthala's First Alstom-Powered Vande Bharat Chair Car for 160 Kmph: Key Conditions and 2026–2030 Production Plan
Indian Railways is rapidly expanding its Vande Bharat Express fleet, shifting Chair Car manufacturing beyond Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai. With ICF focusing heavily on Vande Bharat Sleeper trains and other next-generation rolling stock, Rail Coach Factory (RCF), Kapurthala, and Modern Coach Factory (MCF), Raebareli, have stepped up to share the production load. In a major milestone for Indian Railways' Make in India initiative, the Railway Board granted conditional operational approval on October 23, 2026, to the first 16-coach Vande Bharat Chair Car trainset manufactured by RCF Kapurthala.
RCF Kapurthala and Alstom Propulsion System Clear High-Speed Trials
Under the initial propulsion contract awarded in March 2022, RCF Kapurthala received an order to manufacture 16 Vande Bharat Chair Car trainsets equipped with Alstom traction and propulsion systems, while MCF Raebareli was allotted 9 trainsets powered by Siemens India.
After rolling out its first 16-car prototype rake in April 2026, the RCF Kapurthala Vande Bharat trainset underwent extensive oscillation and high-speed trials at 160 kmph and 180 kmph on the Mathura–Nagda (Kota–Nagda) section. Following the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) Final Speed Certificate (No. MC/TSBD/BT, dated July 21, 2026) and a successful 180 kmph inspection trial under the Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety (CCRS) in October 2026, the Alstom-powered Vande Bharat prototype proved its operational readiness.
◆ Maximum Sanctioned Speed vs. Current Operational Speed
The Railway Board has cleared the 16-car RCF Vande Bharat Chair Car trainset for a maximum operational speed of up to 160 kmph on tracks compliant with Indian Railways Permanent Way Manual (IRPWM) 2024 standards. However, due to existing network-wide speed restrictions across zonal railways, the trainset will currently operate at speeds of up to 130 kmph in commercial service.
◆ Technical Deficiencies Flagged by the Railway Board
Along with the October 23, 2026 approval letter, the Railway Board directed RCF Kapurthala and RDSO to rectify specific technical and safety observations:
1. Replacement of Single-Pole MCBs and Proper Labelling: The Electrical Control Cabinets (ECC) in the prototype use single-pole Miniature Circuit Breakers (MCBs) without clear equipment labels, making fault tracing difficult during electrical failures. The Railway Board has mandated replacing them with clearly labelled double-pole MCBs in the current rake and all future Vande Bharat rakes.
2. Driver Display Unit (DDU) Touchscreen Sensitivity: The DDU touchscreen panel in the loco pilot's cab showed poor touch sensitivity during trials and must be recalibrated for smooth operation.
3. Review of 270 kW Traction Motor Rating: The Alstom traction motor in the RCF rake is rated at 270 kW, compared to 210 kW in Medha-powered rakes (ICF) and 225 kW in Siemens-powered rakes (MCF). The Railway Board has asked RDSO and RCF to verify the technical justification for this higher rating.
4. Fire Safety and Emergency Preparedness: RCF has been instructed to tightly secure the acrylic doors of onboard fire extinguishers, equip future rakes with fire-survival CCTV cables and crash-hardened memory modules, and include emergency uncoupling tools in the driver/guard toolkit to uncouple semi-permanent couplers within 15 minutes during emergencies.
◆ Expanded Vande Bharat Chair Car Production Plan (2026–2030)
To phase out ageing Shatabdi Express rakes on intercity corridors, the Railway Board issued a revised production order on January 2, 2026, to manufacture 1,500 new Vande Bharat Chair Car coaches (88 trainsets) between FY 2026–27 and FY 2029–30:
◇ RCF Kapurthala: Allocated 336 coaches, equivalent to 21 Vande Bharat trainsets of 16 coaches each (including the initial 16-rake Alstom batch).
◇ MCF Raebareli: Allocated 444 coaches, translating to roughly 27 to 28 trainsets of 16 coaches each.
◇ ICF Chennai: Allocated 720 coaches, covering 40 trainsets (20 rakes of 20-coach configuration and 20 rakes of 16-coach configuration).
With the Railway Board's clearance now in place, RCF Kapurthala and Alstom are set to transition from prototype testing to full-scale series production after addressing these minor technical refinements.
Watch our exclusive YouTube video below for a complete technical breakdown of how these deficiencies will be resolved and what this approval means for upcoming Vande Bharat Express routes: