Train 18: Country's first engine-less train rolled out; Train 20 next.

 Inside India's 'Fastest' Train - 360-Degree Rotating Seats, Sliding Steps.

India's first engine-less semi-high speed train - "Train 18" - was rolled out Monday by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) here and will eventually replace the Shatabdi Express for inter-city travel.

The 16-coach semi-high speed 'trainset' built at a cost of Rs 100 crore per rake with 80 percent Indian component has been designed for a maximum operating speed of 160 kmph, officials said. 

Railway Board Chairman Ashwani Lohani flags off country’s first engine-less train ‘Train 18’. Photo: PTI

The fully air-conditioned train, driven by a self-propulsion module, has the potential to become the country’s fastest train provided the infrastructure was improved, Lohani said.

Inside The Train 18: In Pics

Fitted with CCTV cameras, Train 18 has diffused lighting, automatic doors, and footsteps beside GPS-based Passenger Information System.

India’s first engine-less semi-high speed train, ‘Train 18’, was rolled out on Monday by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai and will eventually replace the Shatabdi Express for inter-city travel.

The swanky 16-coach train will cut journey time by 15 percent compared to the 30-year old Shatabdi.
The engine-less train was flagged off at the ICF premises by Railway Board Chairman Ashwani Lohani.

With Train 18 set to go for trials, the railways will now turn its focus on another project - Train 20 - the next generation aluminium-bodied sleeper class trains that will replace the Rajdhani Express trains on the network and is expected to be rolled out by 2020.

Interesting Facts About Train 18:

• Being regarded as a successor to Shatabdi Express, Train 18, India's first engine-less train, will be on the tracks for trials on Monday, October 29.

• The swanky 16-coach train will cut journey time by 15 percent compared to the 30-year old Shatabdi. 

• ‘Train 18’ is built at a cost of Rs 100 crore per rake with 80 percent Indian component has been designed for a maximum operating speed of 160 kmph.

• Train 18 will consist of two executive compartments in the middle with 52 seats each, and trailer coaches will have 78 seats.

• These trains will run on normal tracks of the Indian Railways, unlike the Metro trains, which demanded a separate railway track. Once operational, Train 18 will replace the existing train fleet of the Shatabdi Express

• The fully air-conditioned semi-high speed train, which will cut travel time by 15 percent as compared to the Shatabdi, has been manufactured under ‘Make in India’ initiative by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai.

• The train will have a GPS-based passenger information system, disabled-friendly toilets, automatic doors with retractable footsteps, inter-connected fully sealed gangway, onboard wi-fi and infotainment, modular toilets with bio-vacuum systems, roller blinds and diffused LED lighting.

• If the train had been made by a foreign company, the total cost would have come to around Rs 180 crores. With our own innovation and minimum external consultancy, the project is being completed at Rs 100 crores.

• Train 18 will have modern air-conditioned coaches interconnected with fully sealed gangways blocking noise and dust. The train is designed in such a way that passengers can have a look at the driver’s cabin.

• The train will have centrally operated automatic plug doors with sliding steps that close the gap between coaches and station platform. Besides, it will also have touch-free automatic doors inside the passenger compartment.

• The coaches on either end will come with disabled-friendly passenger bays and disabled-friendly toilets. It will also feature onboard uninterrupted Wifi and infotainment system.

• Each compartment will have GPS-enabled passenger information system, showing train speed, location, time to reach destination etc.

• Train 18 will have a multilevel lighting system, similar to aircraft lighting, and will come equipped with comfortable seating, window blinds, and luggage racks.

• All the equipment of the train is mounted underneath the floor so the entire train will be available for passengers.

• Train 18 has aircraft-like bio-vacuum toilets for efficient flushing. Touch-free sensor-based fittings have been used for optimal consumption of water.

• A unique feature of the executive chair car seats is that they can be rotated 180 degrees to face fellow passengers and can be aligned in the direction of travel.

• A mini pantry will be instituted in each coach of Train 18 and will have state-of-the-art equipment for better heating of food and chilling of cold drinks and juices.

• Six train sets have been sanctioned with the second one planned to be rolled out for testing in February. Four more sets are being aimed to be manufactured in 2019-20. The ICF team plans to replace these sets with all premium long distance locomotive-hauled trains.

• Launched in 1988, the Shatabdi Express presently runs over 20 routes connecting metros with other important cities.

Train 18’s top features:

Automatic doors and a sliding footstep
The T-18 experience begins before you even get on the train. The sliding automatic doors come with a sliding footstep that opens up when the train arrives at the platform. (No need to practice your high jump skills anymore).

Fully air-conditioned and designed for space