W.Bengal commuters enjoy ride in first AC double-decker train

KOLKATA - The West Bengal Government has launched first air-conditioned double-decker train and people from all walks of life enjoyed the ride in ten coaches that included eight double-deckers and two power cars.

Run by Eastern Railways, between Howrah in West Bengal and Dhanbad in neighbouring Jharkhand, the double-level stainless steel coaches have been introduced to cater to heavy rush of travellers on high-density routes, offering air-conditioned travel at a lower cost.

The train has several safety features such as fire retardant upholstery on the seats, as well as a crashworthy design.

“The Reverse Osmosis (RO) system has been installed in it. Air spring has also been installed, which is the secondary suspension in the coach to rectify the problem of maintaining buffer height,” Rabi Ranjan, one of the Eastern Railway officials said on Monday.

“Water is being purified through Reverse Osmosis system, so that the commuters get pure water for drinking. The luggage rack is the one used in Shatabdi Express and the interiors are also good,” he added.

The passenger-carrying capacity has also been increased to 128 passengers in comparison to 78 in trains such as the Shatabdi Express.

The new coaches are capable of running at speeds of up to 160 kilometers per hour.

The overall height of double decker-coaches has been increased marginally by four-and-a-half inches, keeping in view constraints like overhead structures, bridges, electric traction equipment and platforms.

The Rail Coach Factory manufactured 30 non-air-conditioned double-decker coaches in 2001 that are presently being run between Pune and Mumbai. By Rik Sundar Sasmal (ANI)