National News

TMC RS MP Saket Gokhale Claims 50% Price Hike In Vande Bharat Contracts; Gets Fact-Checked By Railway Ministry

September 16, 2024
The Commune

In a recent social media (X) post, Trinamool Congress (TMC) Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale alleged a significant price hike in the Vande Bharat sleeper train contracts, sparking controversy. Gokhale claimed that the Modi government had revised a ₹58,000 crore contract for manufacturing Vande Bharat sleeper trains, suggesting a 50% increase in train costs. His post stated that the cost per train had risen from ₹290 crore to ₹436 crore and questioned who benefited from this increase.

Gokhale’s post read, “Modi Govt has revised the ₹58,000 crores contract for making Vande Bharat sleeper trains A train that cost ₹290 crores earlier will now cost ₹436 crores This is a train with ONLY AC coaches that poor cannot afford. Who is benefiting from this 50% cost increase in Vande Bharat contract?”

The Ministry of Railways quickly rebutted, labeling Gokhale’s claims as misinformation and clarifying the situation. The ministry stated that the cost increase was due to an adjustment in the number of coaches per train, not an inflated price for the trains themselves.

The Ministry explained that, under the revised contract, the total number of coaches remains nearly the same. Initially, the contract was for 200 trains, each with 16 coaches, totaling 3,200 coaches. The revised contract is for 133 trains, but with an increased coach count of 24 per train, also totaling 3,192 coaches.

They wrote, “Please stop spreading misinformation and fake news. Cost per coach multiplied by number of coaches equals the cost of train. In sleeper project, cost per coach is lower than all benchmarks because of the transparency in process. We have increased the number of coaches from 16 to 24 to make longer trains, keeping the total number of coaches in contract constant. This is because there is high demand for train travel. Earlier: 200 trains X 16 coaches = 3200  Revised: 133 trains X 24 coaches = 3192  The total contract value has actually reduced because there are economies when train length is increased. We are making record number non AC coaches (12000) looking at the high demand for railway travel.”

The Ministry further noted that the decision to increase the number of coaches per train was driven by the high demand for railway travel, particularly for longer trains. This adjustment has helped keep the overall number of coaches in the contract constant while making the trains better suited to meet passenger demand.

Additionally, the Ministry addressed the concern about affordability, emphasizing that they were making 12000 non-AC coaches to cater to the high demand for affordable railway travel, countering the claim that Vande Bharat trains would exclusively serve wealthier passengers.

The Railways Ministry underscored the transparency in the contract-awarding process, noting that the cost per coach in the Vande Bharat sleeper project is lower than previous benchmarks. This cost efficiency, according to the Ministry, was achieved through a competitive and transparent bidding process.

This is not the first time that Saket Gokhale has peddled fake news. On 22 August 2024, India Today reported that the CBI told the Supreme Court of a coverup in the Kolkata medical intern rape and murder case. TMC Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale dismissed the report as fake news, but it was later exposed that he used a fake fact-check card, misleadingly attributed to India Today, in his defence. The media outlet later clarified that they did not issue the card, but Gokhale did not delete the post nor apologise for spreading misinformation.

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