CHENNAI-MYSORE SHATABDI TO GET NEW-LOOK COACHES

Hi-Speed, Hi-Capacity Compartments Designed In Germany
V Ayyappan | TNN
June 5, 2009

Chennai: Soon, passengers travelling on the Chennai-Mysore Shatabdi Express will have a comfortable and faster journey with Southern Railway planning to introduce new-look, high-speed and high-capacity coaches, of German design, in the train. A rake of 14 coaches, including the luggage van, made at the Rail Coach Factory (RCF) in Kapurthala under transfer of technology from Alstom LHB Germany is being introduced for the first time in south India.
As the bogies are better designed, the train can achieve speeds up to 150 kmph without affecting comfort, officials said.
According to officials, the superior design of the stainless steel coaches ensures better amenities and high capacity without cutting down on leg space. A chair-car can seat 78 passengers while an executive chair-car coach can seat 56. This means the train with the new coaches will be able to carry 70 more passengers. Each LHB coach has a stainless steel body, advanced pneumatic disc brake system for efficient braking at high speeds, modular interior that integrates lighting into ceiling and luggage racks, state-ofthe-art interiors with wider windows, attractive upholstery, ergonomical seats, air-conditioning system with microprocessor-governed humidity control and in-coach pantry.
“The interiors have been designed with screw-less panels to improve aesthetics. Windows will have roller blinds instead of cloth curtains,” said a senior railway official. The coaches have been brought to Basin Bridge Train Care Centre for pre-induction trials. Commissioner of Railway Safety K J S Naidu inspected the coaches on Thursday.
“Anti-graffiti coating on the trains will make it easier to clean. The stains can be easily wiped away. Graffiti scratched on to coaches often deface a conventional painted coach,” an official said.
Sources said the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) had received the design and would make only such coaches in the future. Once production starts, all Shatabdi coaches will be replaced with LHB model coaches in the future as “railways wants such coaches to be made widespread across the country,” said an official.
Indian Railways imported LHB coaches for some time before technology was transferred in 1999 and production was assigned to the RCF. Similar highspeed coaches are currently running on Delhi-Lucknow, Delhi-Amritsar, Delhi-Kolkata Shatabdi trains and Delhi-Patna, Delhi-Mumbai, Delhi-Guwahati Rajdhani trains.
Southern Railway chief public relations officer Neenu Ittyerah said the coaches would be inducted after Commissioner of Railway Safety certified them.