Trial Run Underway For India’s Fastest, Train 18, in Prayagraj

Train 18, the fastest train from railways' stable, is scheduled to be flagged off on 29 December. The trial run is currently underway in Prayagraj.

Manufactured by ICF Chennai at a cost of Rs 100 crore, the train recently became India's fastest train by hitting speeds of over 180 kmph during trial-run on a section of the Delhi-Rajdhani route.

The gleaming blue-nosed train comes fitted with amenities at par with the best in the world – from on-board WiFi to a GPS-based passenger information system, touch-free bio-vacuum toilets, LED lighting, mobile charging points and a climate control system that adjusts the temperature according to occupancy and weather.

The train will have two executive compartments which will have 52 seats each and trailer coaches will have 78 seats each. The executive class will have rotating seats to match the direction of the train.

Train 18 does not have a separate locomotive engine like conventional trains. Instead, the first and last coaches will have a control cabin for the driver – and these are the propulsion units of the train, technically making it an ‘engineless’ train.

It will reduce the need for shunting locomotives or switching tracks to reverse the direction of the train, as there are control cabins on either end.

Here are 8 reasons why this ‘engineless’ train is a big deal.

1. Train 18 will be a fully air-conditioned train. For the moment, it only has chair car coaches.

2. There are 16 coaches on the train, with the first and last coaches connecting to the pantograph. These are the ‘engines’ of the train, although they form an integral part of the train set.

3. About 14 coaches will be non-executive chair cars that can seat 78 people in 3+2 configuration, while two premium chair cars will have a 2+2 configuration.

4. The train will have a WiFi connection available to the passengers. It will also have CCTV cameras installed in the train. The executive coaches feature seats that can turn 180 degrees, so that passengers always face the direction of travel.

5. The turnaround time will be much shorter with this train as it has a cab on either side. Therefore, there is no need to change the position of the locomotive engine around in a shunting yard.

6. The train is fitted with aircraft-style bio toilets, which means no waste will be spilled on the tracks. This will ensure cleaner railway lines and better hygiene along its route.

7. Being a fully air-conditioned train, it will also come with automatic doors and steps that deploy according to the height of the platform. This will ensure that people don’t jump out of moving trains. The train won’t move until all the doors are shut, just like metro coaches.

8. The train is fitted with fire-resistance fibre composites to provide safety to the passengers.