Train 18, India's fastest, to be flagged off by PM on December 29

NEW DELHI: Train 18, the fastest train from railways' stable, will be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 29 likely from his constituency Varanasi, sources said Wednesday.

The country's first engineless train will replace Shatabdi trains and will run between Delhi and Varanasi, the source said.

Train 18, manufactured by ICF Chennai at a cost of Rs 100 crore, recently became India's fastest train by hitting speeds of over 180 kmph during trial-run on a section of the Delhi-Rajdhani route.

The gleaming blue-nosed train comes fitted with amenities at par with the best in the world -- from on-board WiFi to a GPS-based passenger information system, touch-free bio-vacuum toilets, LED lighting, mobile charging points and a climate control system that adjusts the temperature according to occupancy and weather.

The train will have two executive compartments which will have 52 seats each and trailer coaches will have 78 seats each. The executive class will have rotating seats to match the direction of the train.

According to the tentative plan, the train will start from New Delhi station at 6am and is expected to reach Varanasi at 2pm. For the return journey, the train will start at 2.30pm from Varanasi and reach the national capital at 10.30pm on the same day.

Railway minister Piyush Goyal, impressed with the success of Train 18 during trials, has recently asked ICF to build four more similar rakes in the current financial year.