Train 18: India First Engine-less Train to Hit Tracks For Trials on October 29; 10 Things to Know

The Train 18 will undergo test runs in two/three sectors for about two months. On satisfactory results, the train, capable of touching speeds of 160 kilometre per hour, would be inducted into the passenger service.

New Delhi: Train 18 or T18, a Rs 100 crore indigenously-developed high-tech, energy- efficient, self-propelled or engineless train will hit the tracks for a trial on October 29. The Train 18 will undergo test runs in two/three sectors for about two months. On satisfactory results, the train, capable of touching speeds of 160 kilometre per hour, would be inducted into the passenger service.

“It will be unveiled on October 29, then it will do three to four days of trial outside the factory and then will be handed over to Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) for further trials,” said Mani, General Manager of Chennai-based Integral Coach Factory (ICF) which has developed the train in 18 months.

The train, Mani said, will replace the Shatabdi Express. Train 18 will have a modern look with continuous windows on the exterior and its seating capacity will be 1,128. The coach doors will open only when the train is at zero kilometre per hour and the train will start only when all the coach doors are properly closed.

Listed are 10 things to know about Train 18, India’s first engine-less train:

1. Train 18, fitted with CCTV cameras, will have 16 coaches and will have the same passenger carrying capacity (1,128) as Shatabdi Express.

2. ICF General Manager said that the engine-less train is about 15-20 per cent energy efficient and leaves less of a carbon footprint.

3. The trainset has aerodynamically designed driver cabins at both the ends for a quicker turnaround at destinations.

4. It has an advanced regenerative braking system which saves power.

5. Train 18 is fully airconditioned train offers better passenger comfort and safety.

6. The Executive Class will have rotatable seats to match the direction of the train.

7. There will be two executive compartments with 52 seats each. The coaches will have 78 seats.

8. The first trainset is likely to ply between Delhi and Bhopal, according to the reports.

9. The official also said the ICF will make six such train sets, out of which two will have sleeper coaches.

10. Train 18 is laced with state-of-the-art features, automatic doors with retractable footsteps, onboard Wi-Fi and infotainment, GPS-based passenger information system, roller blinds and diffused LED lighting.

With agency inputs