Train 18: The Fastest and Self-Propelled Train of Indian Railways

The concept of 30 years old Shatabdi express is set to be replaced with India’s first engine-less train, ready to run on tracks. The train has two executive coaches having 52 seats each, whereas trailer coaches will have 78 seats each. It’s India’s fastest train with luxurious facilities like diffused lighting, an onboard infotainment system with Wi-Fi, vacuum toilets, sliding doors and a GPS-based passenger information system. The train was flagged off at Internal Coach Factory (ICF) premises, Chennai, by the Railway Board Chairman Mr Ashwani Lohani. On this auspicious occasion, Mr Ashwani Lohani said: “It is a matter of pride that India has made such a train for the first time and that too ICF has done it within 18 months”. The Railway officials further added, “Train 18’ is built at a cost of Rs 100 crore per rake with 80 percent Indian component has been designed for a maximum operating speed of 160 kmph”.

Here are Some Special Highlights of the Train:

1. 1. The “Train 18” is the first engine-less train with technical advancements used for quick acceleration.
   2. “Train 18” travels at a speed of 160 km/hr which reduces the travel time by 15%.
   3. The train is equipped with CCTV cameras and the slider gates of the train only open when the train halts at the station. Honourable Railway Minister, Mr Piyush Goyal tweeted:

The introduction of Train 18 is a significant step towards modernization of the Railways and gives a boost to the ‘Make in India’ initiative. Take a sneak peek into this revolutionary train that is set to redefine train travel in India. pic.twitter.com/9JpuxWpDW1

— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) October 30, 2018

1. Train18 is equipped with automatic doors and footsteps in a coach’s doorway which slides outward when the train stops.
2. The train, at present, will run on 20 route connecting metro cities of India
3. The executive seats have the facility to rotate 360 degrees aligning with the direction of the train.

Credit: Livemint

Train 18: Renamed as Vande Bharat Express
“Train 18” is renamed as Vande Bharat Express and ready to hit the tracks from New Delhi to the Varanasi route.  In the coming days, the train will be flagged off by the Honorable Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi, which will run from New Delhi to Varanasi route having stoppages at two stations – Kanpur and Prayagraj.

Routes and Timings:
The Vande Bharat Express is the complete comfort to the passengers. It is designed and developed by ICF Chennai and the total cost incurred for manufacturing the train was Rs 97 crore. As per the proposed schedule for Train 18, it will depart from Delhi at 6:00 AM and will reach Varanasi at 2:00 PM. En route, the stoppage stations will be Kanpur station at 10:20 AM and Prayagraj (formerly Allahabad) at 12:25 PM. On the return journey, the Vande Bharat Express will leave from Varanasi at 3:00 PM to arrive in New Delhi at 11:00 PM. Vande Bharat Express will run for five days a week – Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. On Monday and Thursday, the train will be in maintenance mode.

A matter of Export interest:
This self-propelled train is completely manufactured in India and has become a matter of export interest to the Indian Railways as more and more countries are interested in importing this train for their country. Vande Bharat Express is a 16-coach all air-conditioned train set that highlights services like; automatic entry/exit doors with sliding footsteps, European-style comfortable seats, fully sealed gangways for easy movement, modular bio-toilets, rotating seats in the Executive class, car-style forward reclining features of seats, aircraft-like diffused LED lighting etc.  A total of 88 countries are interested to implementing “Train 18” on their tracks.

Upcoming Railway Project:
After the successful launch of “TRAIN18”, the Indian Railways is ready to change the concept of Rajdhani Trains by introducing “TRAIN20”– the next generation aluminium-bodied sleeper class trains. The train is expected to roll out by 2020 to serving passengers who prefer Rajdhani trains for the journey.

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