Delhi-Agra semi-high speed train all set to be flagged off

The Railways is ready to commence running the semi-high speed train from Delhi to Agra once it gets the safety clearance mandatory for all new trains.

A luxury train with all modern facilities, it will run at a speed of 160 km per hour and cover the distance between the national capital and the city of the Taj Mahal in 100 minutes.

“We are ready to run the train any time. We are waiting for clearance from Railway Safety Commissioner,” a senior official told Deccan Herald.

The ministry had set November deadline to start operations. However, getting safety clearance may delay it by a few days.

According to railway officials, Kapurthala coach factory has modified the rakes to make them suitable for joyrides. The coaches will have automatic sliding inner doors and TV infotainment system in the executive chair cars with LED fittings on the back of chairs.

They claimed that the train would offer a smoother ride than Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains. The German technology of the LHB coaches provides for smoke and fire detection systems and latest amenities.

The train would have a single locomotive and chair cars of executive and non-executive class. 

A trial run on July 3 at the maximum speed of 160 km per hour took 102 minutes to reach Agra and won experts’ approval.

Railway ministry officials said that the new semi-high speed train will not affect the running of existing trains and its timetable will not clash with the schedules of other trains.