Two new high-speed trains to replace Rajdhani, Shatabdi soon
Indian Railways is reportedly gearing up to introduce two new high-speed trains -operating at a speed of 176 kmph- even before the launch of India's first bullet train project. The trains -codenamed Train 18 and Train 20- would replace the premier Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains. These two world-class trains would be rolled out soon; "Train 18" may debut in 2018 itself. Here's more.
Trains currently being developed at ICF Chennai
The two new high-speed trains are still in the process of development at the Indian Railways' rail coach manufacturer, Integral Coach Factory (ICF), in Chennai. Train 18 and Train 20 will be India's fastest trains and operate at a maximum speed of 176kmph. As of now, the Gatimaan Express is the fastest running train in the country with a maximum speed of 160kmph.
How much do these trains cost?
The new high-speed trains are being built under PM Narendra Modi's "Make In India" initiative, at half the import cost. One coach of a "Train 18" would cost around Rs. 2.5 crore while that of a "Train 20" would cost Rs. 5.5 crore.
Train 18 to be launched in August this year
Indian Railways will replace the Shatabdi Express trains with Train 18 while Train 20 will replace the Rajdhani Express trains, according to a Zee News report. In Train 18 and Train 20, the suffixed number represents the year in which the train will be rolled out. So, Train 18 will be launched in 2018, likely in August, and Train 20, in 2020.
Shatabdi, Rajdhani to be phased out
Integral Coach Factory (ICF) General Manager, Sudhansu Mani, said that Train 18 and Train 20 would replace Shatabdi and Rajdhani, respectively, in a phase-wise manner. This means these two high-speed trains will eventually, over a certain period, take over the two premier trains.
Trains to offer features like LED TVs and automatic doors
Train 18 and Train 20 will reportedly come with steel coaches equipped with various hi-tech passenger amenities like personalized LED TV screens, GPS, diffuse lighting systems, etc. Also, they will have many safety features and "Automatic Plug-Type" doors that will open/close automatically at railway stations. The new trains are also expected to come fitted with "zero discharge vacuum based bio-toilets".
Trains will be propelled by six motor coaches
The Chief Engineer (Design) at Chennai's Integral Coach Factory, Sree Nivas, stated that the upcoming high-speed trains would be equipped with "world-class features". He added that for faster acceleration the each of these trains will be propelled by six motor coaches.
