238 AC EMU trains for Mumbai suburban to be manufactured on priority: Vaishnaw

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday said priority is being given to manufacture 238 air-conditioned electrical multiple unit (EMU) trains for Mumbai suburban.
These will be built at three production units — Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, Rail Coach Factory (RCF) in Kapurthala, Punjab, and Modern Coach Factory (MCF) in Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh.

“The step has been taken to ensure the timely availability of rolling stock in line with the commissioning of infrastructure under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP),” a Railway Ministry statement said.

“An indicative production programme provides for 120 AC EMU rakes through ICF, 71 rakes through RCF and 47 rakes through MCF, taking the total to 238 rakes,” it added.

According to the ministry, Indian Railways’ production units have proven capability in manufacturing modern passenger rolling stock, including air-conditioned EMUs, Vande Bharat and Vande Metro trainsets.

The Railway Board has approved procurement of the sanctioned AC EMU rakes on existing and proven specifications of the Research Designs and Standards Organisation and ICF, facilitating expeditious manufacturing and supply of the rolling stock.

The ministry said supply is planned to commence from 2027, with the entire sanctioned quantity scheduled for completion by 2030.

“The availability of the first trainsets during 2027, followed by completion of the entire requirement by 2030, will help bridge the gap between infrastructure commissioning and rolling stock induction and enable optimum utilisation of the infrastructure,” it said.