The wait is over for those eagerly waiting to see the Indian Railways' state-of-the-art Train-18 as it is all set to roll out from the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai on October 29. This is a first of its kind train for the Indian Railways and has been made in a record time of 18 months. The ICF had started working on the project in April 2017.

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"The train has been conceived, designed and is being developed in a record time of about 18 months, as against the industry demand of about 3 to 4 years, for designing and developing of such type of new design coaches," said the ICF.

Railway Board Chairman Ashwani Lohani will give the green flag to roll the train out of the ICF stables on 29th October, 2018.

Watch This Zee Business Video of Train 18 Features

Get Ready to Speed @ 160 kmph

The 16 coach semi-high speed Trainset consists of 16 coaches and is designed for Maximum Operating speed of 160 kmph.

Indigenously Built

"The Train 18 Trainset is getting ready at an approximate cost of Rs 100 crores per rake about half the price of importing such a rake from abroad, with about  80% Indian origin components in alignment with the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s call for ‘Make in India’," said the ICF.

Engine-less

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. Every alternative coach is motorized, to ensure even distribution of Motive Power and Faster acceleration/deceleration.

More Onboard Space

The ICF has designed the train to ensure more onboard space for the passengers.

"All the equipment are underslung i.e below the chassis of the coach leaving the complete onboard space for the passengers. Moreover, all the coaches are connected by Fully Sealed Gangways with integrated bridge plates, where passengers can walk across freely," it said.

World-class Features

The train boast of better and modern passenger amenities such as onboard Wi-Fi infotainment, GPS Based Passenger Information System, plush interiors, diffused LED lighting, charging points beneath every seat, individual touch-based reading lights, auto sensor taps in the toilets, modern pantry and food service facilities, rotating seats to match with the direction of the train in Executive Class, Automatic Sliding Doors inside the coaches, modular luggage rack with the glass bottom and concealed roller blinds among others.

The advanced state of the art suspension system will also ensure a smooth and safe journey for the passengers.

PWD-Friendly

The train has been designed keeping in mind the difficulties disabled people face. The train has PWD-friendly features like PWD friendly toilets and space for wheelchairs in the coaches. The PWD passengers can even enter the driving trailer coach using the wheelchairs.

Temperature Control

To overcome the excessive cooling, the train has been fitted with an intelligent air-conditioning system that will adjust the cooling according to the climate conditions/occupancy.

Seating Capacity

The train has a seating capacity of over 1,100 people.

"The total seating capacity of the Train 18 is 1128 (44 × 2 Driving Trailer Coaches + 78 × 12 trailer/motor coaches + 52 × 2 Executive Chair Cars) that's more than the conventional AC chair car trains due to the availability of seats in the driving coach and removal of 2 power cars," it said.

Train 18 will have modern look with continuous windows on the exterior, Aerodynamic Nose Design on both the ends, etc.

Enhanced Safety Features

On the safety front, the Train Management System provided with the Driver’s Cab will ensure precise brake control and Automated doors Control. The Automated Plug Doors Provided on the coaches will open only when the train reaches 0 Kmph speed and the train will start only after closing of all the doors.

"Automated sliding footsteps will also form a temporary bridge between the train and the platform to prevent any accidental slip or fall of the passenger. Moreover, emergency talk back units (through which passengers can talk to the crew in case of emergency) and CCTVs are provided in all coaches for safe and secure travel," said the ICF.

Further, CCTV cameras on both the sides of the driving cab would help the driver to monitor the movement of passengers on the platform before closing the doors and taking off.

Time and Energy Efficient

This all Air-Conditioned chair-car formation is expected to replace the existing Shatabdi Express rakes for inter-city travel and considerably reduce the travelling time due to its better acceleration/ deceleration.

"The train is also designed in such a way to save Diesel by dispensing with the power cars and about 30% electricity saving thanks to the advanced regenerative braking system," it said.

The train will go extensive trial before its induction in the railways. The train is likely to replace Delhi-Bhopal Shatabdi Express after completing the trial successfully.