Sudhanshu Mani, a mechanical officer of the Indian Railways with a 38-year career, was the mastermind behind the Vande Bharat Express train. He was instrumental in ensuring that the train was delivered within a short duration of about 18 months. This semi-high speed train was a dream that Sudhanshu had while he was the General Manager at the Integrated Coach Factory, Chennai. He envisioned a self-propelled train that could run at a speed of 180 km and would cost half the price of the imported semi-high speed trains.
When the Railways was planning to import a semi-high speed train in 2016, Sudhanshu became the General Manager at the Integral Coach Factory Chennai. He proposed the idea of developing a semi-high speed train with indigenous technology that could compete with the imported trains in terms of speed and quality while being cost-effective. This proposal was initially met with skepticism from the Railway Board officers, but with Sudhanshu's persistence, the project was approved.
One of the biggest challenges was to prepare the frame of the semi-high speed bogies for Train 18. Sudhanshu found a company in Kanpur that could make the frame and handed it over to the Integral Coach Factory. A team of 50 railway engineers and 500 factory workers then worked continuously to design and prepare the prototype rack of Vande Bharat in just 18 months.
The design of Vande Bharat Express included a space for the engine to be mounted under the bogies for faster acceleration. This was one of the biggest challenges the team faced while preparing the design. The train was initially named Train 18, but later it was renamed Vande Bharat Express.
During the trial between Gandhinagar-Mumbai, Vande Bharat Express beat even the bullet train in just 52 seconds. Sudhanshu Mani's dream of running a semi-high speed train without an engine was finally fulfilled with the launch of Vande Bharat Express. Sudhanshu Mani is considered the father of Vande Bharat trains in India and his contribution to the development of India's railways will always be remembered.
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