Train-18 Manufacturing May Slow Down After Vigilance Officials Swoop In And Take Important Documents

Manufacturing of Indian Railways’ Train-18 may slow down after the purchase of electrical equipment for the train has come under vigilance radar, the Times of India reports.

According to sources, vigilance officials of the railway department came down to the Integral Coach Factory’s (ICF) office in Chennai on Tuesday (28 May) and Wednesday (29 May) and took away important files, and an internal complaint filed might have triggered an inquiry.

Senior railway officials, seeking anonymity said that they are not ruling out the strong departmental rivalry behind the ‘witch-hunting’. While discussing the delay of the project, top officials said that the bureaucratic rule book of Indian Railways could be twisted into vigilance case.

The Train-18 was renamed as the ‘Vande Bharat Express’ to acknowledge the ‘Make in India’ status and is regarded as the successor to three-decade-old Shatabdi Express. It has 16 coaches and is built at a cost of Rs 97 crore. It was manufactured in a period of 18 months by the ICF and is the first locomotive-less train in India.