Tejas and Humsafar, two of the new trains announced by Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu during his Rail Budget 2016 speech, are all set to see the light of the day in the coming months. Suresh Prabhu has said that Tejas will showcase the future of train travel in India.
Moving towards launching trains with enhanced passenger amenities, and giving PM Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ drive a big impetus, the new train rakes are being manufactured at the Rail Coach Factory (RCF) Kapurthala.
Also check: 7 key features that make Tejas different
Indian Railways has placed an order for one Tejas rake consisting of 14 chair cars, 3 executive chair cars and 3 power cars with the RCF. According to RCF, the coaches will be ready within a month. “This is the first time that we are fitting TV screens behind the seats, the process is new to us, and that may take some extra time, but we hope to hand over the coaches to Indian Railways in a month’s time,” Virender Kumar Vij, PRO at RCF told FE Online.
In pic: Tejas train design
Tejas will operate at speeds of 130 kmph and above and offer onboard services such as entertainment, local cuisine, WiFi. Tejas coaches will be equipped with 22 new features, including entertainment screens for each passenger along with phone socket and LED boards for communicating safety instructions.
There will be water level indicators in bio-vacuum toilets, sensorised taps and hand driers.
In pic: Tejas coaches under construction at Rail Coach Factory
Meanwhile, RCF has already handed over one rake of the proposed Humsafar train to Indian Railways. Railways had placed an order for 5 Humsafar rakes with RCF, consisting of 19 3-tier AC coaches and 2 power cars. Humsafar has been proposed as a fully air-conditioned third AC service with an optional service for meals.
Both Tejas and Hamsafar will have CCTVs, and fire and smoke detection and suppression system.
In pic: Humsafar coaches
Apart from these, RCF is also working on manufacturing Antyodaya Express (superfast trains for unreserved passengers) and UDAY (Utkrisht Double-Decker Air-conditioned Yatri). Both these trains were also announced as a part of the Railway Budget speech by Suresh Prabhu this year. While 3 rakes of Antyodaya have been ordered, UDAY is currently at the design stage.
Orders for Antyodaya rakes have also been placed with Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai. ICF is also making Deen Dayalu coaches, which are unreserved coaches with potable water and a higher number of mobile charging points.