A video of Australia’s double-decker metro train is circulating on social media with the claim that 22 trains, developed under ‘Make in India’, were made operational in Syndey recently. IRS officer Ashok Vishnoi tweeted the video with the message, “सिडनी में अभी 22 मेट्रो ट्रेनों को चालू किया गया है । इनके बारे में खास बात यह है कि ये सभी कोच भारत निर्मित है । मेड इन इंडिया, इन ट्रेनों को भारतीय रेलवे की इंटीग्रल कोच फैक्ट्री, चेन्नई में बनाया गया है । देश प्रगति कर रहा है । हमें गर्व है । “

ABP News’s Vikash Bhadauria retweeted Vishnoi’s tweet.

The video has been floating on social media at least since July 21. It shows the inside of Sydney’s double-decker metro train with reversible seats.

The video was also retweeted by NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant.

The complete message shared with the video says – “22 metro trains were Made operational in Sydney yesterday! A Matter of pride, all these trains were MADE IN INDIA! First time in History- Coaches Made in India being run in a foreign land! When PM Modi said New India, this is what he meant.”

The video has also been widely circulated on Facebook.

Fact-check

Multiple claims have been made in the viral message and we will fact-check them one by one.

1. The video

Upon breaking down the video into multiple frames and reserve-searching one of them on Google, we found that the clip is from 2018. This determines that the claim that these trains were recently made operational is false.

2. Was the train developed under ‘Make in India’ initiative?

No.

French manufacturing company Alstom was given a contract to manufacture 22 trains for Sydney metro in 2014. The company manufactured these trains in India and delivered them from its Sricity facility in Andhra Pradesh in 2018. The trains were made operational in May 2019 for the northwest metro line.

However, the train shown in the video was not a part of this project. 

A project overview by Syndey Metro provides design details of the trains manufactured under ‘Make in India’. Among other things, the most prominent clue which establishes that the train in the video was not manufactured under ‘Make in India’ is that it’s a double-decker. Alstom trains are single-deck.

An infographic of the various components of the train also shows that Alstom manufactured single-deck trains.

Another component missing from the Alstom design is reversible seats visible in the train in the viral video.

3. Who manufactured the train shown in the viral video?

The train seen in the viral video is known as Waratah train (part of Sydney Trains A & B sets).

It was not manufactured by Alstom but Australia-based Reliance Rail (not to be confused with Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries) under a PPP with Sydney trains. The company website provides details about the project – “Detailed design of the Waratah trains was completed in 2009 and delivery of the Waratah trains commenced in July 2011 and was completed in May 2014. Reliance Rail is required to make 72 trains available to Sydney Trains for timetabled services each day until the end of the 30-year contract term.” The trains were designed in Australia, manufactured in China and assembled in Cardiff, UK.

They are double-decker trains and have reversible seating, according to a fact sheet released by Reliance Rail in 2008.

The viral claim on social media thus stands false. The video depicts a Sydney metro train which was manufactured in China by Australia-based Reliance Rail. It was not developed by Alstom under ‘Make in India’.

[This article was updated on November 7, 2019.]

Donate to Alt News!
Independent journalism that speaks truth to power and is free of corporate and political control is possible only when people start contributing towards the same. Please consider donating towards this endeavour to fight fake news and misinformation.

Donate Now