A jerk-free ride on trains soon: Couplers that join coaches to be replaced in Rajdhani, Shatabdi

Trains running with these new couplers are found to have finally eliminated the age-old problem of the jerks and a kind of swaying which passengers of the premium trains have been complaining about for ages.

Written by Avishek G Dastidar | New Delhi | Updated: August 24, 2018

XRailway ministry has asked Northern Railway, which manages the most number of these trains to fit a new version of the Centre Buffer Coupler (CBC) to join coaches. (Representational Image)

The all-too-familiar and uncomfortable jerks that passengers experience while travelling in Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains will be a thing of the past soon. The Railways Ministry has asked Northern Railways, which manages the maximum number of these trains, to fit a new version of the Centre Buffer Coupler (CBC) to join coaches. Trains running with these new couplers are found to have finally eliminated the age-old problem of the jerks and swaying, which passengers of the premium trains have been complaining of for years. 

A coupler is a device for connecting coaches with each other in a train. The equipment that connects the couplings to the rolling stock is known as the draft gear. The new design CBC is equipped with balanced draft gear, which has high-capacity shock absorbers.

The standard CBC coupler that the Indian Railways has been making and fitting in the Linke Hoffman Busch (LHB) coaches – which make the Rajdhanis and Shatabdis – were found to be mainly responsible for this. And Railway engineers have been struggling to solve this.

The solution, Railways says, is finally here. “By October-end, the Rajdhanis and Shatabdis managed by the Northern Railways will be fitted with these couplers and the problem of jerks will be gone for good,” Chairman Railway Board Ashwani Lohani said.