Train 18 services, the new Shatabdi Express, likely to start next month: 5 things to know

The second trial run of the fully air-conditioned Train 18 will be conducted in Kota, where the train will be tested at 160 km per hour

New Delhi: Train 18, India’s first engine-less semi-high-speed train, is likely to start operations by 15 December, a senior railway ministry official told PTI. The train, which is set to replace Shatabdi Express, completed its first trial successfully on Monday. It ran at a speed of 115 km per hour (kmph) on tracks in Moradabad. “We have successfully achieved a speed of 120 kmph during trials. We will achieve a speed of 160 kmph and run the train likely by December 15,” PTI quoted the official as saying. The second trial run of the fully air-conditioned Train 18 will be conducted in Kota, where the train will be tested at 160 km per hour.

The Driver’s cabin of India’s first engine-less semi-high-speed train is manufactured by Integral Coach Factory (ICF). Photo: Reuters

Here are five things to know about India’s first engineless train

1. The gleaming, blue-nosed train comes fitted with amenities on a 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.

Piyush Goyal

✔@PiyushGoyal

प्रधानमंत्री @NarendraModi के मेक इन इंडिया अभियान को आगे बढ़ाते हुए भारतीय रेल ने विश्वस्तरीय T-18 ट्रेन का निर्माण किया है, यह ट्रेन आधुनिक सुविधाओं से परिपूर्ण है व यात्रियों को एक विश्वस्तरीय सफर देने के लिए तैयार है। आइए देखते है इसकी खासियत :

17.6K

8:32 PM - Oct 25, 2018

6,256 people are talking about this

Twitter Ads info and privacy

2. Train 18 has the potential to travel up to a speed of 160 kmph, as against 130 kmph for Shatabdis, and will result in travel time being reduced by around 15% once tracks are fitted to suit.

The executive class will have rotating seats to match the direction of the train. Photo: AFP

3. 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.

Fitted with CCTV cameras, Train 18 has diffused lighting, automatic doors and footsteps besides GPS-based Passenger Information System. Photo: AFP

4. Train 18—the Rs 100 crore train—was developed by Chennai Integral Coach Factory in 18 months.

India’s first engine-less train ‘Train 18’ is developed by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai. Photo: PTI

5. The new train is a 100 per cent ‘Make in India’ project and was built in 18 months.

Source