Indian Railways readies 12 Rajdhani Express rakes as push-pull locomotive-hauled trains! This is to reduce the journey time of passengers on major routes like Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Kolkata by 60 to 90 minutes, according to various news reports. By installing the push-pull engine in Rajdhani Express trains, the speed increases and the train reaches its destination station quickly. The push-pull technology has many advantages including increase in the safety of train operations, reduction in travel time, offers comfortable ride (jerk-free) to passengers as well as reduction in cost. In the coming days, the Rajdhani Express train will complete its entire journey at a speed of 160 km per hour.
Earlier this year, in the month of January, Rajdhani Express became the first Indian Railways train to operate on the push-pull technology from Mumbai to New Delhi. On 19 January 2019, train number 22221/22222 Rajdhani Express had its inaugural run. The train runs under the Central Railway zone. This bi-weekly train comprises one First AC, three AC 2 Tier, eight AC 3 Tier as well as one pantry car. On every Wednesday and Saturday, the train departs from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) railway station, Mumbai at 2.50 PM and reaches Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station, Delhi at 10.20 AM next day. En route, the Rajdhani Express halts at Jalgaon, Nasik Road, Kalyan, Bhopal, Jhansi and Agra Cantt. railway stations.
The Central Railway zone had earlier said that within less than a month of the train’s launch, it got such a huge response from passengers that two additional coaches (AC 2 Tier as well as AC 3 Tier class) were added. This Rajdhani Express hugely benefitted those who are residing in the Central suburbs beyond Kalyan and Thane in Maharashtra, since it gave the travellers the option to travel by train with a boarding facility at Kalyan railway station. It is India’s first train to run on the Push-Pull technology, empowering the ‘Mission Raftar’ of Indian Railways.