Major Leap: Indian Railways to launch engine-less, 160 kmph ‘Made In India’ train in June
The train boasts of a slew of modern amenities
In a major technological leap, Indian Railways is set to replace Shatabdi Express trains with its first engine-less semi-high speed train for inter-city travel in June this year.
According to a Financial Express report, the train boasts of world-class amenities and has been completely manufactured in Chennai under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious ‘Make in India’ programme.
It has been codenamed ‘Train 18’ after the year its year of manufacture. It will eventually replace Shatabdi Express trains on the Indian Railways network.
The first train is scheduled to run in June this year as an inter-city travel train.
Salient Aspects:
* Self-propelled like the Metro trains and capable of traveling at speeds of 160 kmph.
* Manufactured at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai at a cost of Rs 100 crore, half of what it would cost to import.
* Has a stainless steel car body with LHB as the base design.
* Will have driving cabins on both ends and coaches will be inter-connected with fully sealed gangways.
* Compared to current trains, it will cut down travel time by at least 20 percent.
* Will include two executive chair cars and 14 non-executive chair cars with a capacity of 56 and 78 passengers respectively.
* Fully air-conditioned with WiFi and GPS-based passenger information system.
* Amenities include automatic sliding doors, zero discharge vacuum-based bio-toilets, diffused lighting and modular toilets.
* Passenger friendly amenities include comfortable seating, halogen-free rubber-on-rubber flooring, concealed roller blinds and continuous energy-efficient LED lighting.
* Will Include space for parking wheelchairs in a bid to make them disabled-passenger friendly.
* Boasts of technological advancements like reduced aerodynamic drag for improved energy efficiency, improved air ducting for better distribution and underslung propulsion.
* Unlike conventional trains, Train 18 will have continuous windows.
Incidentally, railways are also working Train 20 which will be train set of sleeper coaches and it will be rolled out in 2020.
Indian Railways is the world’s largest network, transporting around 23 million people every day.
