Train 18 To Start Journey Between Delhi-Varanasi Soon: 10 Latest Updates

Train 18, the country's first engine-less train, will make its first journey between New Delhi and Varanasi in January 2019, Railway Ministry officials were quoted as saying in an Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) report. The report also pointed out that the engine-less train, which is capable of running at a maximum speed of 200 kmph will cover the distance of 755 km in eight hours. Train 18 will be the fastest train on the route as the current fastest train takes around 11 and a half hour to complete the same distance.

Here are 10 latest updates about Train 18:

1. Train 18, developed indigenously by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), will make its first journey between New Delhi and Varanasi, via Kanpur and Prayagraj.

2. The new train is likely to be introduced in the service before the Kumbh mela. 

3. Train 18 is a self-propelled on electric traction like metro trains, and will start replacing the existing train fleet of the Shatabdi Express.

4. It is an all air-conditioned chair car train with 16 coaches comprising executive and non-executive classes. 

5. There are two executive compartments in the middle with 52 seats each, whereas trailer coaches have 78 seats each.

6. It has a modern look with continuous windows on the exterior and its seating capacity is 1,128.

7. The seats can rotate 360 degrees and can be aligned in the direction of travel. 

8. The coach doors open only when the train is at zero kmph and the train starts only when all the coach doors are properly closed.

9. The new train also has a number of features to enhance passenger comfort which include inter-connected fully-sealed gangways, automatic doors with retractable footsteps, onboard Wi-Fi and infotainment.

10. GPS-based passenger information system, modular toilets with bio-vacuum systems, roller blinds and diffused LED lighting, and disabled-friendly toilets are some other features of Train 18. (With inputs from agencies)