Train 18: India's first engine-less train rolled out, to replace Shatabdi Express; Here are things to know

Train 18, India's first engine-less semi-high-speed train, was rolled out on Monday by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai that will eventually replace the Shatabdi Express for inter-city travel.

This is the first long-distance train without separate locomotive (engine) and was flagged off at the ICF premises by Railway Board Chairman Ashwani Lohani.

Lohani said this fully air-conditioned train, driven by a self-propulsion module, has the potential to become the country's fastest train provided the infrastructure was improved.

Here’s all you need to know about Train 18:

# The 16-coach semi-high speed 'trainset' built at a cost of Rs 100 crore per rake with 80 per cent Indian component has been designed for a maximum operating speed of 160 kmph.

# Five more units of the train would be produced by the ICF by the end of 2019-20 production year, he said.

# The swanky 16-coach train will cut journey time by 15 per cent compared to the 30-year old Shatabdi.

'Train 18' was unveiled today in Chennai's Integral Coach Factory.This train is driven by a self-propulsion module,is sans a separate locomotive and is capable of running at a speed of up to 160 kmph. It has 16 coaches &will cut travel time by 15% as compared to Shatabdi Express pic.twitter.com/fB4mnfraDo

— ANI (@ANI) October 29, 2018

 # The ICF has done it within 18 months Lohani said

# Within 2018-19 production year, another unit of the train would be manufactured and four more units would be manufactured by end of 2019-20 production year, Lohani said.

# Train-18 has two driving trailer coaches with aerodynamic driver's cab (nose cone) on both the ends which will enable quicker turn-around time at destinations.

# Fitted with CCTV cameras, Train-18 would have two executive compartments in the middle with 52 seats each, whereas trailer coaches would have 78 seats each.

# The footsteps in the coaches of the doorways are designed in such a way that it would slide outward when the train stopped at a station enabling passengers to alight safely with comfort in view of the variation in height between a trains floor and the platform.

# With Train 18 already set to go for trials, the railways will now turn its focus on another project - Train 20 - the next generation aluminium-bodied sleeper class trains that will replace the Rajdhani Express trains on the network and is expected to be rolled out by 2020.

(With PTI inputs)