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India's First Engineless Train: Train 18 Launch Date, Route, Speed, Cost, Coaches, Features

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New Delhi, Oct 29: Train 18, the India's first engine-less train which is being regarded as a successor to the 30-year-old Shatabdi Express, is set to hit the tracks for trials on Monday. Train 18 is a 100% 'Make in India' project and the train set is being manufactured at ICF (Integral Coach Factory) in Chennai. Being manufactured at Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai, Train 18 will undergo extensive testing by RDSO over the next few months before being declared ready for the Delhi-Bhopal route. Train 18 is a self-propelled all AC chair car train set that will be able to travel at speeds of 160 kmph. The train set is eventually expected to replace Shatabdi Express trains on key Indian Railways routes.

Images credit - Twitter/@PiyushGoyal

Check the complete details of Train 18 below:

Train 18 Route and Launch Date:

From January 2019, Indian Railways' first engine-less train Train 18 will most likely replace India's fastest Shatabdi Express on the Delhi-Bhopal route. Train 18, India's first engine-less train to start trial run on October 29, 2018 . It will be unveiled on October 29, then it will do three to four days of trial outside the factory and then will be handed over to Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) for further trials.

Train 18 Speed:

Train 18 has a potential to travel up to the speed at 160 kmph as against 130 kmph of Shatabdi, which would result in the travel time being reduced by around 15 per cent once the tracks are fit to suit Train 18's speed. The trains will be propelled by 6 motor coaches which would help in faster acceleration.

Train 18 Coaches:

Train 18 is a full AC train with 16 coaches and is designed in such a way that passengers can have a look at the driver's cabin. The first train set will have 16 chair-car type coaches - executive and non-executive. There will be two executive chair cars and 14 non-executive chair cars. The maximum seating capacity of executive chair cars will be 56 passengers, while those of non executive will be 78.

Train 18 Cost:

The estimated cost of each Train 18 vehicle is Rs 100 crore. Indian Railways' Integrated Coach Factory General Manager Sudhanshu Mani said that subsequent production would bring down the cost compared to its current prototype.

Features of Train 18 - India's First Engine Less Train:

  • Train 18 is dubbed as next-generation train and has technical features for enhanced quick acceleration.
  • Train 18 will have a stainless steel car body with LHB as the base design. The train set will be tested at speeds of 180 kmph. Unlike conventional trains, Train 18 will have continuous windows.
  • The fully air-conditioned train set will have comfortable seats and the interiors will boast of diffused lighting.
  • Train 18 will offer passengers on-board WiFi and infotainment. There will also be GPS-based passenger information system.
  • Another interesting Feature is automatic interconnecting doors and the connecting areas will be spacious for easy movement.
  • Train 18 will boast of zero discharge bio-vaccum toilets. The modular toilets will have aesthetic touch-free bathroom fittings.
  • Train 18 coaches will also have space to park wheel chairs - a step aimed at making the train sets friendly for disabled passengers.
  • The footstep in a coach's doorway slides outward when the train stops at a station enabling passengers to alight safely with comfort in view of the variation in height between a train's floor and the platform.
  • Train 18 has diffused lighting, automatic doors and footsteps besides GPS-based Passenger Information System.
  • One big advantage of a train set as against a locomotive-hauled train is that there are no engine reversal requirements. Train sets also allow for quick acceleration and deceleration, hence reducing the travel duration. According to ICF, train sets allow for better onboard utilisation of space.

OneIndia News with PTI inputs

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