With WiFi, GPS and High-Tech Toilets, Indian Railways Set to get a Makeover with This Train Set

New Delhi: In what is being seen as a big makeover of the Indian Railways, an all new semi-high speed train set, code-named ‘Train 18’, is set to launch in India later this year. The train set will have a total of 16 coaches which will initially be fitted into Shatabdi trains and gradually replace all old Shatabdi coaches.

Sources in the Indian Railways said the final trials for Train 18 are likely to be conducted in the next few days in Uttar Pradesh. “The new age flagship train set code-named Train 18 is set to roll out from the production shops of Integral Coach Factory (ICF) this year," a source in the Indian Railways told News18.

The coaches are designed to operate at a maximum speed of 160 kmph — the same speed on which India’s fastest running train Shatabdi operates. All coaches are fully air-conditioned and have automatic sliding doors on both sides. They also have two driver cabins on both ends.

The train set will also have sliding foot rails, along with sliding doors, to allow passengers to board and deboard from stations that don’t have platforms built to the prescribed height.

Other amenities include fully functional WiFi, infotainment services, GPS and toilets with bio-vacuum system. To facilitate movement of specially-abled passengers room has been made into coaches to allow space for wheelchairs. LED screens and high-definition speakers have also been installed to provide information about the upcoming station and distance to the next station. All coaches will also come with bigger luggage racks. Up to 78 passengers will be able to travel in a coach.

It is likely to give a huge boost to Prime Minister Modi’s ‘Make in India’ campaign, given the fact that around 80 per cent of its components have been locally produced. “The train has been conceived, designed and is being developed in a record time of about 18 months, as against the industry demand of about 3 to 4 years," the source added.

Train 18 is getting ready at an approximate cost of Rs100 crore per rake, which is about half the cost that railways would have to incur were it to import a train set with this technology, the source said.