India’s first engine-less semi-high speed train – “Train 18” – was rolled out Monday by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) here and will eventually replace the Shatabdi Express for inter-city travel. The Rs 100 crore country’s first engine-less train “Train 18”, developed by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) was unveiled Monday by Railway Board Chairman Ashwani Lohani.
The newly made train-set has been manufactured by the ICF in a record time of 18 months and will run in the route of Delhi-Bhopal Shatabdi for its inaugural ride. Currently, only Gatiman Express touches the same speed of 160 kilometres per hour. Unlike regular trains, this train will have a higher acceleration, making it faster to pick up of speed. Normal trains have engines, however, in Train-18, the engine will be a part of the coach.
Here are things to know about the engine-less semi-high speed train:
- The swanky 16-coach train will cut journey time by 15 per cent compared to the 30-year old Shatabdi.
- The 16-coach semi-high speed ‘trainset’ built at a cost of Rs 100 crore per rake with 80 per cent Indian component has been designed for a maximum operating speed of 160 kmph.
- The fully air-conditioned train, driven by a self-propulsion module, has the potential to become the country’s fastest train.
(Photo by ARUN SANKAR / AFP)
- Within 2018-19 production year, another unit of the train would be manufactured and four more units would be manufactured by end of 2019-20 production year.
- Train-18 has two driving trailer coaches with aerodynamic driver’s cab (nose cone) on both the ends which will enable quicker turn-around time at destinations. Every alternative coach is motorized, to ensure even distribution of power and faster acceleration/deceleration.
- Fitted with CCTV cameras, Train-18 would have two executive compartments in the middle with 52 seats each, whereas trailer coaches would have 78 seats each.
- It has diffused lighting, automatic doors and footsteps besides GPS-based passenger information system.
- The footsteps in the coaches of the doorways are designed in such a way that it would slide outward when the train stopped at a station enabling passengers to alight safely with comfort in view of the variation in height between a trains floor and the platform.
- All the equipment are below the chassis of the coaches leaving the complete on board space for passenger movement. All the coaches are connected by fully sealed gangways with integrated bridge plates, where passenger can walk across freely.
(Inputs from IANS and PTI)