India will get its first semi-high speed train Gatimaan Express most likely on April 5. The train which will run at the speed of 160 km/hour between Delhi and Agra will cover the 184 km distance in 105-110 minutes. The train will be faster than the fastest Shatabdi, i.e. the New Delhi-Bhopal Habibganj Shatabdi Express whose maximum speed is 140-150 km/hour.
With the final trial finishing on March 22, the train is waiting for Railway Ministry's approval to take people along with it from Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station in the national capital to the city of Taj Mahal.
"The whole train is 'Make In India' with coaches built at Kapurthala Railway Coach Factory in the Punjab, bio-toilets developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and interiors from other Indian companies. The cost of the train is around Rs 50 crore (10 coaches with each costing Rs 2.5 to 3 crore and two power cars)," said Arun Arora, divisional railways manager (DRM), Delhi division of Northern Railway.
The train looks like a Shatabdi Express but with better services. There are two executive chair car coaches and eight AC chair car coaches. The executive coaches have two seats on either side with more space between rows whereas chair car has three seats on one side and two on the other with slightly less space between rows.
With a provision for hotspot infotainment and special menu, the fare will be a bit higher than the Shatabdi. The fare will be Rs 1,365 for Executive Class and Rs 690 for Chair Car.
There will be two sets of menu for vegetarian and non-vegetarian passengers apart from cakes and wafers. In vegetarian menu, a passenger can choose between South Indian and Punjabi food and in non-vegetarian there will be continental dishes and sausages.
To align with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan', due stress is also being given to the cleanliness. There are bio-toilets in the train which have tanks in the bottom with bacteria.
Dustbins have also been put outside every coach and there are micro-busters for good fragrance. There are footmats in between toilets, toilet floor mat, auto janitors in toilets, dustbins in toilet areas and mats in the vestibule area too.
Officials say a lot of effort has been put in to make the journey passenger-friendly. From LED lights, reading bulbs to braille scripts, the coaches also have several beautiful paintings of the tourist places in and around Delhi and Agra.
The train, which will have a non-stop travel from Hazrat Nizamuddin to Agra, was due to be launched in March 2016.
When asked why this particular route was selected for Gatimaan Express, Arora said, "The route already has infrastructure for train running at the speed of 140 kms/hour. It is feasible to have Gatimaan as the infrastructure is already there. It takes a lot of effort to even increase the speed of a train slightly and make adjustments accordingly."
As per the final trial on March 22, the train completed the one-way journey in 113 minutes as there are four speed restrictions at Tilak Nagar, Hazrat Nizamudin, Faridabad and Ballabgarh yards. The work is underway at Faridabad and Ballabgarh yards to remove the restrictions and on its completion the target time will be met, said Arora.
India’s wait for a semi-high speed train will finally be over on April 5.
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