INDIA: Indian Railways has cancelled MRVC’s tender for 238 air-conditioned Mumbai suburban rakes and shifted production to three railway-owned factories, with the first prototype now expected in 2027.

Air-conditioned Mumbai Suburban Railway EMU standing at Virar station
Air-conditioned Mumbai Suburban Railway EMU at Virar station. Illustrative photo. Photo: Anonymousboii, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The change resets how the fleet will be produced rather than abandoning the 238-train programme. Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation began the tendering process in September 2025, but the bid-opening deadline was extended three times as discussions raised issues with the procurement route.

Three Railway Factories Replace the Tender Route

Production is now planned to run simultaneously at Integral Coach Factory in Chennai, Rail Coach Factory in Kapurthala and Modern Coach Factory in Rae Bareli. The announcement does not specify how many of the 238 rakes each factory will build, so an equal split or any other allocation should not be assumed.

Before the cancellation, the Central Public Procurement Portal described the MRVC package as procurement and 35-year comprehensive maintenance of 2,856 air-conditioned Vande Metro (Suburban) cars in 12-, 15- and 18-car configurations, together with two new maintenance depots under MUTP-III and MUTP-3A. The revised announcement confirms the manufacturing shift, but it does not set out a factory-by-factory allocation or a complete replacement structure for every element of that earlier package.

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First Prototype Is Now Expected in 2027

MRVC chairman and managing director Vilas Wadekar said the first prototype is expected in 2027, compared with the earlier deadline of 2030. MRVC is targeting induction of all 238 rakes by 2030.

Those dates remain an expectation and a target, not completed milestones. The central change is the production strategy: the external tender route has been cancelled, while Indian Railways plans to manufacture the fleet through three of its own production units.

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