Vande Bharat

 Audio Version Given Below

 

 

As children, we all get fascinated by trains. Some adults are also fascinated. I am one of them. I agree that travelling by air is convenient and exciting but the charm of a train journey is also not so less, especially if you travel by a premium train. Gone are the days when Rajdhani Express and Shatabdi Express and later on, Durranto Express were the only premium trains in Indian Railways (obviously excluding the Premium Tourist Trains like Palace on Wheels etc.).

New Premium Trains

The latest addition to premium trains is ‘Train 18’. Before we know more about this train, let us have a quick look at the existing ones.

a)  Humsafar Express: A long distance premium train having features like in-coach vending machines, heating chamber and refrigerators etc.

b)  Gatiman Express: India’s first semi-high speed train that now runs between Delhi and Jhansi. This was the first train to have maximum permissible speed of 160 kmph. Features like free Wi-Fi, multimedia streaming and presence of 'Train Hostess' make the travel experince much  like that of an aircraft.

c)   Tejas Express: This is also a premium train.

The Latest Addition – Train 18

As I said earlier, the latest addition in the kitty of premium trains is 'Vande Bharat Express', code-named and popularly known as 'Train 18'

Through this article, I will try to explain the features of this train. So, lets begin the journey.

This is India’s first electric Multiple Unit (trainset) of aerodynamic structure. Most of it (apart from the braking system, doors, seats and transformers) is built at the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai. It has been built in 18 months at an approximate cost of Rs. 1 Billion. The objective of manufacturing this class of train is to replace the Shatabdi Express class of trains.

Route: The first service is expected to begin in the first week of February 2019 between Delhi and Varanasi via Kanpur and Prayagraj. A 780 km stretch that is expected to be completed in 8 hours.

Speed: This train is officially the fastest train. It has achieved a speed of 181 Kmph. It has been tested to operate at 160 kmph.

Structure: The rake has a white and blue livery. It is built in aerodynamic structure to facilitate faster speed. It has16 coaches in all, comprising of 14 Chair Car and 2 Excecutive Chair Car coaches. The engine cab is attached to the train itself, like 'Metro' trains for faster turnaround.

Doors: The train has Automatic Doors. These doors serve as a safety measure as they will open only when the train stops completely. There is also an automatic sliding footstep attached to the door that will form a temporary bridge to plug the gap between the train and the platform.

Inside the train

Two- Way communication system: Each coach has Two- way communication system that may be used in case of an emergency to communicate between the cabin and the driver in the engine.

Cabin: As we move towards the seating area we see that the same is also separated by an automatic sliding door.

The cabin has an ambience like that of an aircraft. The standard Chair Car has a 2X3 seating configuration.

In Coach Pantry: Each coach will have its own food storage area. This will help in providing faster catering services to the passengers.

Lavatories: The lavatories have vacuum based toilets. For the purpose of water conservation, the taps have sensors. There are 2 disabled friendly lavatories in the train.

The connectivity between the coaches is like that in the ‘Metro’ trains and not like regular trains. One can walk between coaches with ease.

Executive Chair Car: There are 2 coaches of Executive Chair Car. Most of it is pretty much the same, however the seating configuration is 2X2. The main attraction of Executive Class is that all these seats revolve 360 degrees.

Plans for the future

Currently, 1 unit of the train will begin service in the coming days. The ICF, Chennai will produce 5 more units during the production year 2019-20, out of which 2 units of the train are expected to be ready by May 2019.

The Railways also plans to introduce “Train-20” by the year 2020. Train 20 is aimed to replace the Rajdhani Express class of trains.

I will update the article in future when I get more information.

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