Saket Gokhale Claims Cost of Vande Bharat Went Up by 50%, Ministry of Railways Fact Checks It

The Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale claimed the cost of Vande Bharat trains has surged by 50%, with the Modi government revising the INR 58,000 crore contract for manufacturing Vande Bharat sleeper trains. According to Gokhale, the cost of a train has escalated from INR 290 crores to INR 436 crores, raising concerns about affordability for the general public. Gokhale questioned who stands to benefit from this significant cost increase, suggesting that the trains, which feature only AC coaches, are beyond the reach of poorer citizens. In response, the Ministry of Railways refuted these claims, emphasising the transparency of the process. They clarified that the cost per coach when multiplied by the number of coaches, determines the total cost of the train. The Ministry highlighted that the sleeper project’s cost per coach is lower than all benchmarks due to the transparent process. Vande Bharat Metro Renamed as Namo Bharat Rapid Rail, Set to Operate Between Gujarat's Bhuj and Ahmedabad (Watch Video).

Ministry of Railway Refutes Saket Gokhale's Claims

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… https://t.co/tLUmUsGx5x

— Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia) September 16, 2024

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 16, 2024 01:30 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).