According to the project timeline, two prototypes will be ready before the end of 2025 and production of the rolling stock is expected to start in 2026. For TMH, the vast historical knowledge of the October plant, along with the company’s other modern production facilities in Tver and Moscow, is a showcase of its competences to deliver the Vande Bharat sleeper coaches on time.

While the interiors of the many factories on the premises have been renovated multiple times, its exteriors — the huge red brick walls, large entrance gates and old Russian arcs with long chimneys intact atop — still echo its tumultuous past.

Not far from the plant’s main entrance, among the deciduous trees, stands a small statue of Vladimir Lenin in his famous suit, his hand raised in salute. Just behind the Russian revolutionary’s statue, on the red wall of a factory, is a Russian plaque that reads: “Within the walls of the ‘Pit’ the revolutionary thought of the workers of the Nevskaya Zastava (a neighbourhood in St Petersburg) was seething. Here, they heard the words of their leader Lenin”.

As she walks The Indian Express through the factory, Olga Spiryukova, director, production, OEVRZ, calls the plant a symbol of Russia’s intellectual and industrial potential.

“If we speak 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 on the premises. The factory was founded in 1826. At that time, it was called Alexandrovsky Foundry and used to produce metal castings for the Empire. In 1931, it was named after the October Revolution of 1917. With changing times, both the name and work of the company changed. We do all kinds of work related to rolling stock now, from manufacturing and maintenance to repair of cars,” she says.

The plant started with the construction of seagoing steamships. The first Russian steamship, 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 renamed Alexandrovsky Main Mechanical Plant of the St Petersburg-Moscow Railway. In 1894, the plant was bought out by the Treasury and came under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Railways. It mastered the construction of special carriages. From 1914 to 1917, the plant completely switched to equipping sanitary and special trains. It was L M Kaganovich, one of the closest associates of Soviet politician and revolutionary Joseph Stalin, who named the factory after the October Revolution.

“After the revolution, to commemorate its fifth anniversary, the plant was renamed Proletarsky in 1922. In 1931, it was renamed Oktyabrsky Car Repair Plant. During the Second World War, it manufactured and supplied armoured trains,” says Spiryukova.

The enterprise carried out orders from the Leningrad Front during the Second World War. After the fall of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), state enterprise OEVRZ was transformed into an open joint-stock company in 1992.

“Later, like all other major rail equipment manufacturing plants in Russia, OEVRZ became a part of TMH in 2005. In 2008, OEVRZ started overhaul repairs of metro cars. In 2011, it started independent manufacturing of underground cars called the Baltiets metro. Recently, we started assembling St Petersburg’s famous Dostoevsky tram,” says director Spiryukova, showing manufacturing at one of the oldest surviving factories from the 1860s on the premises.

Stating that around 2,500 people are currently employed at the factory, she says, “We produce, on average, 80-90 wagons per year. We have got a contract to deliver 950 cars for Baltiets by 2031. Of these, we have already supplied 216 cars.”

Like OEVRZ, Metrowagonmash (MWM), the TMH company with a 70 per cent stake in the Indo-Russia joint venture for the Vande Bharat project, came into existence in 1897. MWM has been producing metro cars and diesel multiple units since 1934.

Andrey Stepnov, CEO, MWM, says that it will play a “key role” in Rail Vikas Nigam Limited’s Marathwada Rail Coach Factory in Maharashtra’s Latur. “India is a major partner of Russia and we were looking for such a project for a long time… On average, we produce one car every day, depending on the complexity. It takes an average of 17 days to complete one car from the (signing of) contract to its delivery. No other country can match our services,” Stepnov tells The Indian Express.

Talking about expansion plans, Kirill Lipa, CEO, TMH, says they thought about entering India in 2018. “When we started our export business, the first country we signed a contract with was Egypt. After that, we recognised that India was one of the best (places) to expand (our business) in foreign countries. You have the ‘Make in India’ initiative and your government stands very much for the development of local produce… That is why we prepared ourselves to produce locally,” says Lipa.

He adds, “We know that all major players are already present in India. So they have contracts, facilities, local offices, engineering centres and relationships with suppliers, financial infrastructure, banking systems, etc. For them, everything is in place. But for us, everything was absent. So we needed to start from the very beginning.”

On the Vande Bharat project, CEO Lipa says, “We have a 35-year maintenance contract in India. This means that three generations of engineers and workers will work on that. It is not just me — my grandson will finish this story. At that time, I will be 85 years old. So we need very close connections at every level and need to learn each other’s language and culture.”

Back at the OEVRZ office, though Lenin’s full speech on the factory premises could not be found, a note in Russian shed some light on that day. “The passenger workshop was overcrowded…Those who knew that Lenin would come to the rally stood silently. In total, more than 5,000 gathered…Vladimir Ilyich talked with the workers…spoke simply, clearly, explained in detail to the workers the Bolshevik line of the revolution, the slogans of the party, exposed the treacherous line of the Mensheviks, Socialist Revolutionaries and other enemies of the socialist and revolution,” reads the note.

“The workers listened to Lenin with bated breath. Vladimir Ilyich finished his speech to loud applause and enthusiastic cries of ‘hurray!’. The workers carried Lenin in their arms to the car,” it concludes.

At the end of the tour, to a question on whether Lenin continues to inspire workers, production director Spiryukova says, “Of course. Lenin is still alive in Russia. His ideas are all around. He inspires us to keep moving ahead.”

(The Indian Express was in Russia at the invitation of TMH)