NEW DELHI: Train 18 is will soon start its journey on the Delhi-Varanasi route, confirmed Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday, according to a PTI report. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the country’s fastest train.
Train 18 will cover the 750-km route at a maximum speed of 160 kmph. The estimated run-time would be eight hours, about one-and-a-half times faster than the fastest train on the route, said Goyal.
Train 18 has a number of features to enhance passenger comfort, including interconnected fully-sealed gangways, automatic doors with retractable footsteps, A GPS-based passenger information system, modular toilets with bio-vacuum systems, rotational seats that can be aligned in the direction of travel (available only in the executive class), roller blinds, diffused LED lighting and toilets accessible by the differently. There will be a climate control system that adjusts the temperature according to occupancy and weather.
Earlier this month, Goyal had said that Train 18 had “amenities of international standards, was Wi-Fi enabled, and it had no locomotive or engine,” PTI reported.
Giving a shape to India’s long-awaited bullet-train dream, Train 18 would be the first step in this direction, Goyal added.
“Train 18 has maximum speed, built with indigenous design in an Indian factory under the Make In India initiative,” he told PTI.
Indian Railways has taken several initiatives in the last four-and-a-half years. One of the main initiatives is the introduction of Linke-Hoffman Busch (LHB) coaches with anti-collision technology for passenger safety.
Developed in Chennai factory, LHB coaches are lighter in weight and cause less fatalities compared to the current Integral Coach Factory (ICF) coaches.
The railways have completely stopped using old coaches, according to PTI.
India’s first engine-less train was developed by the Chennai Integral Coach Factory in 18 months.
Source:Press Trust of India
