INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Train 18 has features to enhance passengers' comfort, including inter-connected fully-sealed gangways.Train 18, the country's first
locomotive-less train, sped up to 180 kmph between Kota junction and Kurlasi station during a trial, reported news agency Indo-Asian News
With this trial which was conducted on Sunday, efforts are on to launch the first indigenously-built train set on December 25 between New
Delhi and Varanasi, according to the IANS report
"Christmas Day also happens to be the birthday of late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and it would be a tribute to the great statesman
if we manage to launch the next-generation train on that day," reported the agency citing a senior railway official.Since the input cost of
the Rs 100-crore train is high, the fare structure will be also be higher than the normal fare, said the report.However, the official added
that the decision on its launch date and fare were yet to be taken as the trial was not yet complete
According to the tentative plan, the train will start from New Delhi station at 6 am and is expected to reach Varanasi, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi's parliamentary constituency, at 2 pm
For the return journey, the train will start at 2.30 pm, from Varanasi and reach the national capital at 10.30 pm.Speed of Train 18Train 18
crossed the 180 kmph speed limit during the test run
Although the speed touched 180 kmph during Sunday's trial run, the Train 18 will only be allowed to run at a maximum speed of 160 kmph in
its commercial operations.Features of Train 18Train 18 is a full-AC train with 16 coaches and is designed in such a way that passengers can
gangways, automatic doors with retractable footsteps, onboard Wi-Fi and infotainment, GPS-based passenger information system, modular
toilets with bio-vacuum systems, roller blinds and diffused LED lighting, and disabled-friendly toilets.(With IANS inputs)
