At 176 Kmph, These Two Upcoming Trains May Be India’s Fastest Ever!

These two new trains, ‘Train 18’ and ‘Train 20,’ currently in the process of development at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, will be the fastest in India, running up to a maximum speed of 176 km per hour. Gatimaan Express, which is India’s fastest running train, has a maximum speed of 160 km per hour.

by Jovita AranhaJanuary 22, 2018, 

Attention Railway lovers! For all those who think that their long-distance train travel experience cannot get any better, we have some good news for you!

The Indian Railways is reportedly planning to launch two new high-speed trains which may eventually, over a period of time, replace the premier Shatabdi and Rajdhani trains, reports Zee News.

Representational Image Only. Source: Wikimedia Commons

These two new trains, ‘Train 18’ and ‘Train 20,’ currently in the process of development at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, will be the fastest in India, running up to a maximum speed of 176 km per hour. Gatimaan Express, which is India’s fastest running train, has a maximum speed of 160 km per hour.

While ‘Train 18,’ which will eventually replace the Shatabdi Express trains, is expected to be rolled out by the Indian Railways in August 2018, ‘Train 20,’ which will replace the Rajdhani Express trains, will stay true to its name and be launched in 2020.

These new trains will purportedly have world-class features, with steel coaches equipped with LED TV screens, GPS, diffuse lighting system and safety measures. The trains are also expected to be equipped with ‘Automatic Plug-Type’ doors, which will open and close automatically at the stations.

Even the toilets in the trains will be zero discharge vacuum- based bio-toilets.

Speaking to Zee News, ICF’s Chief Engineer (Design) Sree Nivas said that the trains will be propelled by six motor coaches which would help in faster acceleration.

To be developed and launched under the Prime Minister’s ‘Make in India’ scheme, a ‘Train 18’ coach is expected to cost Rs 2.50 crore, while a ‘Train 20’ coach will cost around Rs 5.50 crore.

A train journey in India is an intense experience, and every railway enthusiast dreams of a journey which is on par with high-speed trains across the world. In all likelihood, these trains may just be their dream come true!