In the heart of St. Petersburg, the cultural capital of Russia, there is a locomotive manufacturing factory with almost 200 years of history. The plant – which originated under the rule of the Tsars (Russian Emperors), later indented by the Bolshevik movement and named after the October (Oktabrsky in Russian) Revolution – is now the expansion base for Russia’s largest rolling stock manufacturing company, Transmashholding (TMH), and India’s Ambitious plans to produce ultramodern Vande Bharat sleeper trains, intended for long-distance overnight travel.
Spread over 42 hectares, the Oktyabrsky Electric Car Repair Plant (OEVRZ) produces metro car and carriage models for St. Petersburg. OEVRZ, a part of TMH Group, will provide services for manufacturing Vande Bharat Sleeper Trains. Indian Railways on September 27, 2023, signed an agreement with Kinet Railway Solutions Limited, an Indo-Russia joint venture that includes a major shareholding by TMH for the supply of 1,920 Vande Bharat sleeper coaches.
According to the project timeline, two prototypes will be ready before the end of 2025 and production of rolling stock is expected to begin in 2026. For TMH, the vast historical knowledge of the October plant, along with the company’s other modern manufacturing facilities. Tver and Moscow, Vande India showcases its ability to deliver sleeper coaches on time.
While the interior of many of the factories in the complex has been renovated several times, its exterior – massive red brick walls, grand entrances and old Russian arches with tall chimneys above – still echoes its turbulent past.
Away from the plant’s main entrance, among the leafy trees, stands a small statue of Vladimir Lenin in his famous suit, his arms raised in salute. On the red wall of a factory, right behind a statue of a Russian revolutionary, is a Russian plaque that reads: “Within the walls of the ‘pit’ the revolutionary ideas of the workers of Nevskaya Tachabhava (neighborhood of St. Petersburg) were being crushed. . Here, they listened to their leader Lenin.”
When he walked Indian Express Through the factory, Olga Spirukova, director, production, OEVRZ, calls the plant a symbol of Russia’s intellectual and industrial prowess.
“If we talk about history, between the two sides of this old workshop, Lenin gave his famous speech in 1921 or 1922. There are two statues of Lenin in the premises. The factory was established in 1826. At that time, it was called Alexandrovsky Foundry and for the Empire Used to produce metal castings. In 1931, it was named after the October Revolution of 1917, the company “Both the name and the job changed. We now do all kinds of work related to rolling stock, right up to car manufacturing and maintenance,” she says.
The plant began with the construction of coastal steamships. The first Russian steamship, the Neva, was built here during the reign of Tsar Nicholas I. It also supplied cast iron for the famous St. Isaac’s Cathedral in St. Petersburg.
In 1844, the plant was named the Alexandrovsky Main Mechanical Plant of the St. Petersburg-Moscow Railway. In 1894, the plant was bought by the Treasury and came under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Railways. It mastered the manufacture of special vehicles. From 1914 to 1917, the plant switched to fully sanitary and equipping special trains. One of the closest associates of Soviet politician and revolutionary Joseph Stalin was LM Kaganovich, who named the factory after the October Revolution.
“After the revolution, to celebrate its fifth anniversary, the plant was renamed Proletarsky in 1922. In 1931, it was renamed Oktyabrsky Car Repair Plant. During World War II, it manufactured and supplied armored trains,” Spirukova says.
The enterprise fulfilled orders from the Leningrad Front during World War II. After the collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), the state enterprise OEVRZ was transformed into an open joint-stock company in 1992.
“Later, like all major rail equipment production plants in Russia, OEVRZ became a part of TMH in 2005. In 2008, OEVRZ started overhaul maintenance of metro cars. In 2011, it started independent production of underground cars called Baltiets Metro. Recently, we “We started assembling the famous Dostoevsky tram in St. Petersburg,” says director Spirukova, the oldest surviving 1860s tram on the premises. Showing production in one of the factories.
Stating that about 2,500 people are currently employed in the factory, she says, ‘We produce an average of 80-90 vehicles annually. We have a contract to deliver 950 cars for Baltiets by 2031. Out of that we have already supplied 216 cars.
Like OEVRZ, Metrowagonmash (MWM), a TMH company with a 70 percent stake in the Indo-Russia joint venture for the Vande Bharat project, came into existence in 1897. MWM has been manufacturing metro cars and diesel multiple units since 1934.
Andrey Stepanov, CEO, MWM, says it will play a “key role” in Rail Vikas Nigam Limited’s Marathwada Rail Coach Factory at Latur in Maharashtra. “India is a major partner of Russia and we have been looking for such a project for a long time… On an average, depending on the complexity, we produce one car every day. A car takes an average of 17 days to complete from contract (signature) to its delivery. No other country can match our services,” Stepanov tells The Indian Express.
Talking about the expansion plans, Kirill Lipa, CEO, TMH, says that they are thinking of entering India in 2018. “When we started our export business, the first country we signed was Egypt. After that, we accepted that India is one of the best (places) to expand (our business) abroad. You have the ‘Make in India’ initiative and Your government is very much standing for the development of local production… so we have prepared ourselves to produce locally,” says Lipa.
He added, “We know that all the major players are already present in India. So they have contracts, facilities, local offices, engineering centers and relationships with suppliers, financial infrastructure, banking systems, etc. for them, all in place. But for us, everything was absent. So we have to start from the beginning.”
About the Vande Bharat project, CEO Lipa says, “We have a 35-year maintenance contract in India. That means three generations of engineers and workers will work on it. It’s not just me – my grandson will finish this story. I’ll be 85 by then. So we need every It requires a very close connection at the level and learning each other’s language and culture.”
Back at the OEVRZ office, where Lenin’s full speech was not found on the factory premises, a note in Russian shed some light on the day. “The traveling workshop was crowded…those who knew Lenin would come to the rally stood in silence. More than 5,000 gathered in all…Vladimir Ilyich spoke to the workers…simply, plainly, to the workers the Bolshevik line of revolution, party slogans, Mensheviks , exposed the treacherous line of socialist revolutionaries and other enemies of the revolution,” the note reads.
“The workers listened to Lenin with bated breath. Vladimir Ilyich gave loud applause and ‘Hurrah!’ He ended his speech with enthusiastic shouts. The workers carried Lenin in their arms to the car,’ it concludes.
At the end of the tour, when asked if Lenin continues to inspire the workers, production director Spirukova says, “Of course. Lenin is alive in Russia. His ideas are everywhere. He inspires us to move forward.”
(Indian Express was in Russia at the invitation of TMH)
Why should you buy our membership?
You want to be the smartest in the room.
You want access to our award-winning journalism.
You don’t want to be confused and misinformed.
Choose your subscription package