Double Decker Train In India Chugs Out
By Arnab Ghosh, Gaea News NetworkTuesday, October 19, 2010
KOLKATA, INDIA (GaeaTimes.com)- Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee has reasons to smile now as she has kept a promise she had made earlier. The first ever Double decker Train is now ready and it is fully air conditioned. It rolled out from Punjab’s Kapurthala Rail coach factory on Saturday. This train will ply between Dhanbad and Howrah. Pradeep Kumar the Rail Coach Factory’s General Manager said that this is the first time that AC double Decker train is being introduced in Indian Railway. He made it clear to the media that the coaches of the new train has been made keeping in mind the structures like electric traction and rail bridges etc.
The Double decker Train has been built based on latest technologies, the General Manager said. The coaches are ruggedly built and the material used is stainless steel which will ensure longevity. The coaches are capable of running at speeds up to 180 km a hour. The coaches have been built in such a way that the damages will be minimal if any mishap or accident takes place. The advantage of the train is that it can accommodate up to 128 passengers per coach which is much higher than the capacity of super fast trains like Shatabdi Express. However, the train will not be introduced in stretches which exceed 500km since there are no sleeper coaches.
The Double Decker train gets its electricity from power cars that are attached to its sides. The new train is likely to attract a lot of passengers as the Railway officials are expecting. However, the fare structure of the new train has not been set up yet. The train will run at slightly lower speed than the optimum limit as the railway officials have said.
