Slow and long train journeys could soon be passe, once ‘Train 18’ hits the tracks with time and distance still shortened. The indigenously built high-speed train that can reach a top speed of 160 kmph is the first ‘Make in India’ train to be built at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF). How did they do it? The engineering team at ICF has simply lifted the electrical multiple units (EMUs) technology and replicated it for the long haul journeys using high speed engines. And bang came the Train 18 concept.
The ‘Train 18’ christened so to coincide with the year 2018 was introduced to the media by ICF General Manager S. Mani at a familiarisation workshop organised in the city on Wednesday. Mr. Mani said Train 18, having an aero-dynamic shape has moved from the drawing board with the outer shell of the coach completed and the first one is set to roll out by the end of the year after getting the safety certificate from Commissioner of Railway Safety.
No engines to lug
The high speed, 16-car train set is a complete transformation of the old. Unlike conventional trains where an engine pulls the coaches, Train 18 would have no engines to pull the coaches, nor any shunting engines for switching the engines from the front to the back resulting in manpower wastage. Mr. Mani said the 16-car train set could be operated simply from the front and the back like the EMU where only the motorman and guardsman would change their position. Also, the train would have quick acceleration and stopped ‘immediately’ leading to time saving. The entire coach would look like one single train set with the engineering equipments, including propulsion installed below the coaches and gangways in between the coaches fully sealed to look like vestibule coaches like the metro coaches.
The Train 18 would not only have advanced engineering features, but also showcases best passenger amenities.
Train 18 passengers would have a whole new experience equal to air travel with the coaches having ergonomically designed swivel chairs, GPS-based passenger information system, wifi facility, on-board infotainment, automatic doors and footsteps and to top it all, toilets installed with vacuum evacuation.
