Train 18, an indigenously developed semi-high speed train has officially become the country’s fastest hurtling at a speed of 180 km per hour.
Announcing it on Twitter, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said, “Need for Speed: Train 18 seen cruising at a sustained 180Km/h, officially becoming the fastest train in India."
The train is scheduled to be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 29.
The country's first engineless train will replace Shatabdi trains and will run between Delhi and Varanasi.
Train 18, manufactured by ICF Chennai at a cost of Rs 100 crore, recently became India's fastest train by hitting speeds of over 180 kmph during a trial run on a section of the Delhi-Rajdhani route.
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The gleaming blue-nosed train comes fitted with amenities at par with the best in the world -- from on-board WiFi to a GPS-based passenger information system, touch-free bio-vacuum toilets, LED lighting, mobile charging points and a climate control system that adjusts the temperature according to occupancy and weather.
The train will have two executive compartments which will have 52 seats each and trailer coaches will have 78 seats each. The executive class will have rotating seats to match the direction of the train.
According to the tentative plan, the train will start from New Delhi station at 6 am and is expected to reach Varanasi at 2 pm. For the return journey, the train will start at 2.30 pm from Varanasi and reach the national capital at 10.30 pm on the same day.
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( With inputs from agencies)
