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Train 18 likely to be launched next week, here's all about India's first long-distance 'engine-less' rail

Train 18 Got Clearance From The Electrical Inspector To The Government After Three Days Of Inspection.

News Nation Bureau | Edited By : Srishty Choudhury | Updated on: 25 Jan 2019, 08:43:03 AM
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. (File photo)

New Delhi:

Railways’ ambitious Train 18 got clearance from the Electrical Inspector to the Government (EIG), after three days of inspection, sources in the ministry said Thursday, adding the train is likely to be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a week. The much-awaited train had been in limbo for over a month after it finished its trials and was given conditional clearance by the chief commissioner of Railway Safety. The train was sent for EIG inspection on Monday after the Railway Board gave its approval despite objections from its rolling stock department, which designed and manufactured the state-of-the-art train.

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

  • Train 18 is the first long-distance train without separate locomotive (engine).
  • It is a fully air-conditioned train, driven by a self-propulsion module.
  • 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 Integral Coach Factory (ICF) by the end of 2019-20 production year.
  • The swanky 16-coach train will cut journey time by 15 per cent compared to the 30-year old Shatabdi.
  • 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 PTI inputs)

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First Published : 25 Jan 2019, 08:40:07 AM

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