The Hindu : Mumbai-New Delhi Rajdhani to get hi-tech coaches

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 30, 2003

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National

Mumbai-New Delhi Rajdhani to get hi-tech coaches

By Vinay Kumar

NEW DELHI MARCH 29. Newly rolled-out modern high-speed German coaches will be introduced in the Mumbai-New Delhi Rajdhani Express.

The coaches are being manufactured indigenously at the Rail Coach Factory (RCF) at Kapurthala, under a technology transfer package from Alstom Linka Hoffmann Busch (LHB) of Germany.

The RCF has redesigned LHB AC sleeper-coaches for the Rajdhani Express and its introduction in the Delhi-Mumbai Rajdhani has been prompted by the fact that it provides better occupancy.

The LHB coaches are expected to be pressed into service in the Mumbai Rajdhani by May and in another two to three months, the Delhi-Howrah Rajdhani will also get these coaches, official sources said.

The RCF will also manufacture LHB-designed coaches for the Jan Shatabdi rake during 2003-04. LHB coaches are already in service in the Lucknow-New Delhi Shatabdi Express and have overcome the initial problems of loose couplers and air-conditioning.

The new LHB-designed coaches have been remodelled to meet the requirements of sleeper-coaches, including interiors, and the bogie for the new AC-2 tier coaches indigenously.

Official sources said passenger safety had been given paramount importance. Stainless steel has been extensively used in the construction of the coaches as it provides protection against corrosion.

The reliability and strength of the joints, a major casualty in train accidents, have also been improved.

Besides this, the coaches have been provided with disc brakes for better braking at high speeds. The brakes, fitted with anti-skid features, are almost maintenance-free.

The newly-designed AC 2-tier coaches too have been equipped with several new features. Reading lights have been integrated in the headrests.

The coaches are also fitted with wider windows.

They will come with a modular pantry, equipped with a hot case, bottle-cooler, deep-freezer, soup- warmer, besides a tea and coffee dispenser.

Toilets have been fitted with a `controlled discharge system' to ensure that the waste does not fall on the ground unless the train is moving at 30 kilometres per hour.

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