AGRA: Hours after
Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai announced releasing the ‘
Train 18’ in a week’s time for trial, the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) said, the trial would be done in a 80-day-long period in three phases.
RDSO’s testing department would execute the trials of the first train set conceptualised, designed and manufactured completely in India.
Speaking to TOI, chief public relation officer of RDSO A K Sinha said, “The first trial would be conducted on the Bareilly-Moradabad section on standard railway track to achieve normal speed of 115 kmph.
Later in the second phase, the train would touch 180 kmph between Kota- Sawai Madhopur stretch, while the final would be on New Delhi-Bhopal section via Agra.”
“Since the 16-coach train is made to cruise at 160 kmph, we have to keep at least 10 percent margin and test the engineless train up to 180 kmph. If the train achieves the required parameters with 100 percent safety standards, it will be recommended for commissioning in India railway,” he said.
He added, “After the trials, it would be up to railway board to get commissioner of railway safety green signal to start the train’s operation. At present, RDSO is also testing 18 LHB coaches of Rajdhani Express rake with end-to-end electric locomotive engines to explore 160 kmph feasibility operation. The trials were recently conducted between Hazrat Nizamuddin-Mumbai via Kota-Madhopur section.”
Once the ‘Train 18’ is approved for operation, it would be first be used between New Delhi-Bhopal to replace current LHB coach Shatbadi Express. Later, it would also likely replace Chennai-Bengaluru, Mumbai-Ahmadabad, New Delhi-Lucknow and New Delhi-Amritsar Shatabadi.