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Train 18 is here – and after several years, Indian Railways is introducing a train that will leave passengers awestruck! That Train 18 is Indian Railways' first engine-less self-propelled train for inter-city travel is a fact that many would know by now. Train 18 will replace India's fastest Shatabdi Express between the cities of Delhi and Bhopal. Shatabdi Express is already a premium service by Indian Railways, so what more does Train 18 offer? For one, it will travel at speeds of 160 kmph. For another, several of the new features in Train 18 make it a world-class train that India has never seen before! Financial Express Online brings you an exclusive preview of the Train 18 from Integral Coach Factory (ICF) Chennai, where the train has been manufactured. Get ready to feast your eyes!
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Train 18 has been given a colour scheme of white and dark blue – a first for Indian Railways. This new colour scheme gives Train 18 a 'world-class' feel, with several international trains being white! Unlike conventional trains, Train 18 will have digital display boards on each coach to display destination.
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Train 18 will have 16 fully air-conditioned coaches of the executive and non-executive chair car type. While two coaches will be Executive, the rest will be non-executive/Economy.
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Some standard features of Train 18 are; WiFi facility with pre-loaded content for your smartphones, laptops and tablets, diffused aircraft-like LED lighting, personalised reading lights, CCTV cameras for safety, mobile charging points with every seat, touch-friendly blinds for windows, braille-integrated stickers, cushioned luggage racks and toilet occupancy indicators at the end of each coach.
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The entry/exit doors for each coach are automatic with an optical sensor on the top that detects movement and automatically opens/closes the door. At each end of the coach are two GPS-based information screens that will display data on upcoming stations, train speed etc.
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Train 18 is fitted with European-style comfortable seats. The Executive chair car seats of Train 18 are covered with a golden coloured fabric and pink/purple headrest. ICF officials claim that the fabric of the seats is stain and fire resistant – a useful feature!
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A very interesting feature in Train 18's executive chair car coaches is that the seats can be rotated to face each other! This is particularly convenient for passengers travelling in a group. But, what this also means is that the Executive chair car will not have a centre table area.
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Another noteworthy feature of the seats in Train 18 is its new reclining facility. Unlike aircraft, where passengers have to push back their rest to recline the seat, in case of Train 18, the base seat has to be pushed ahead! This is similar to how people can adjust their seats in a car.
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From a passenger's perspective what this means is that the person sitting behind you will not be disturbed. In case of the Executive chair car, a button below the arm rest allows for adjusting the seat, while in the non-Executive chair car, a holder below the seat performs this function.
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Keeping in mind world-class trains, Train 18 has fully sealed gangways which means seamless movement for passengers between coaches.
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Not only that, fully sealed gangways in Train 18 also allow for better air-conditioning and dust-free environment.
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Like the Shatabdi Express train, the non-executive chair car has seats in the 3+2 configuration. The seats, with leather-like material, have been given a graded colour scheme of pink and purple.
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The bottle holders in Train 18 are more compact with a better design. Also, according to ICF, Train 18 will have swanky equipment in its pantry that will provide more efficient heating and cooling facility for food items and beverages.
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The centre table area in the non-executive chair car now has foldable snack tables attached to the main table. This is a convenient feature for passengers for keeping food items/consuming them at a comfortable distance from their seats.
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Train 18 will offer enhanced seating capacity with a part of the driving cabin coach being used for seating passengers. Also, the driving cabin coach will allow wheelchairs to be rolled in and will boast of a parking space for the same. The toilet in that coach will also be disabled-friendly.
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Just like metro trains, Train 18 will have emergency communication/talk-back system between passengers and the train driver.
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Train 18 boasts of aircraft-like bio-vacuum toilets with efficient flushing system and health faucets. The bio-vacuum toilets are aimed at ensuring stink-free toilets.
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Train 18's toilets will also have modular, touch-free sensor based fittings to ensure optimal utilisation of water.
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In yet another world-class feature, Train 18 has automatic doors with sliding footsteps. These footsteps slide out to bridge the gap between the platform and the train, making entry and exit smoother for travellers.
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From a safety perspective, these automatic doors are centrally operated and open only when the train is stationary or at 0 kmph speed.
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Train 18's state-of-the-art bogie and under-slung self-propulsion system allows for faster acceleration and deceleration, a fact that will help reduce travel time greatly. Also, Train 18 makes use of regenerative braking system, allowing for a certain percentage of its energy to be fed back into the system.
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According to ICF officials, Train 18 operates as a computer unit with seamless transition of signals, implying jerk-free rides.
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Train 18 has continuous windows which allow for a panoramic view from the passengers' perspective. On the exterior too, these add to the aesthetic look of the train set.
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The driving cabin of Train 18 is similar to ones in metro coaches. Train 18 will have one aerodynamic driving cabin at each end, eliminating the need to reverse the train when it reaches the terminal.
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Train 18 has been manufactured at a cost of approximately Rs 100 crore for the first prototype. ICF expects this cost to come down further as more train sets are manufactured. Train 18 has been designed and developed in a record time of 18 months and will lead to a savings of approximately 20% when compared to a Shatabdi Express in terms of lifecycle cost. After rolling out from ICf, Train 18 will be handed over to RDSO for extensive testing over the next few months.
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As Indian Railways looks to manufacture world-class trains like Train 18 and offer premium facilities, one can only hope that passengers would play a responsible role in maintaining the train and not indulge in acts that defile it!
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