New trains to cut Metro travel time; Ridership to touch 28,000 on Phase III
The train that was to make its maiden journey in July last year was delayed by several months after the Howrah-Dhanbad prototype being run by the eastern railway faced technical snags. This train, though, is now running without a hitch prompting northern railway to take the plunge.
"We are planning a trial run from February after which we plan to start operations from March,'' said S K Sharma, CPRO (northern railway).
Sources said the railway safety commissioner is yet to give a go-ahead.
The trial run of the new coaches from Kapurthala is also yet to begin. S K Budhalakoti, general manager, northern railway, said, "The date of inauguration of the train will be announced shortly. It will definitely run before March 31, 2012." Having only AC chair-cars, the train will leave
Railway sources said the prototype of the country's first AC double-decker passenger coach carries 70% more people than conventional coaches. Double-decker coaches, which will have 128 seats, are expected to be introduced in Yuva and Shatabdi class by the end of this year after undergoing extensive trials.
The futuristic high-speed, stainless steel AC coaches would be introduced to cater to the heavy rush of commuters in high-density corridors offering AC travel at a low cost. A totally new coach design capable of running at a speed of 160 km/hr was developed by RCF engineers in tandem with Research Design and Standard Organization ( RDSO) and Kapurthala rail coach factory within just nine months.
Double-decker coaches, which only have seating arrangements, will be about one to one-and-a-half feet taller than conventional ones and ten inches higher from the ground level. Designed with new-age features including sliding doors, the coach rolled out by railway coach factory, Kapurthala, has been provided with enough space for passengers to sit comfortably.