संवाद # 43: Sudhanshu Mani, creator of Train18/Vande Bharat Express & Ex-GM of Indian Railways

Sudhanshu Mani is a former officer of the Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers, where he served for 38 years. He retired as the general manager of the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai, where Train 18 was built from design to development in record 18 months under his leadership.
0:00 Intro
0:32 Story of building Train 18
7:00 Challenges in Train 18 project
10:53 Why it was named ‘Train18’
12:18 Working with govt & industry
15:20 Why no new train since 2019
19:37 How good officers are harassed & hounded
26:50 Why Train 18 project was so important
30:25 How can govt make 400 Vande Bharat trains by 2025?
36:38 India doesn’t have rail tracks to support high-speed trains!
39:18 Should India focus on High Speed Trains instead of Bullet Trains?
43:16 Benefits of trains with Aluminium coaches
45:48 What improvements should be made in new Vande Bharat trains
50:00 We need to make Sleeper version of Vande Bharat trains
52:22 Is Kerala’s semi high speed train project K-rail viable?
57:02 Pros & Cons of RRTS projects - Delhi to Meerut, Panipat, Alwar
1:00:58 How good is financial health of Indian Railways?
1:04:03 Dedicated Freight Corridors will help?