Train-18: 40 sets ordered for Indian Railways

After the runaway success of Indian’s fastest train, Vande Bharat Express, Indian Railways has asked the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) to manufacture 40 such train sets in the near future. These train sets, known as 'Train 18' run at a maximum speed of 160 kmph and are expected to replace the inter-city Shatabdi trains in the long run.

Rajesh Agrawal, Member (Rolling Stock), Railway Board, said the ICF is going full steam to manufacture a greater number of Vande Bharat Express train sets and 40 such train sets will be rolled out in the near future.

“To improve the safety of Train 18, in the event of cattle crossing, it has been planned to fit the driver cabin crash guard with aluminium design in place of FRP,” he said.

The Train-18, known as Vande Bharat Express running between New Delhi and Varanasi, suffered a break down on the second day of its launch due to cattle crossing.

Agarwal also said ICF has rolled out 3262 coaches in 2018-2019 financial year, making it the largest coach manufacturer in the world. He also expressed hope that the coach manufacturer will break its own record by producing more than 4000 coaches this year.

After the success of Train 18, the ICF will take up the design, development and production of 'Train 19', a sleeper version of Train 18, on the lines of Rajdhani Express, he said. Agrawal said a few South East Asian and South American nations have evinced interest in importing Train-18 coaches.

“The request will be considered only after fulfilling the needs of Indian Railways,” he said. The ICF will also roll out 12 air-conditioned rakes that can be used for suburban services.