Vande Bharat for common man? Indian Railways is looking to introduce a new affordable non-AC train that the common man can look forward to. After ramping up the roll out of Vande Bharat Express trains, Indian Railways is now hoping to manufacture a new train with upgraded second class unreserved and second class 3-tier sleeper coaches.
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The name of the new train has not yet been decided, but the idea is to make a train with better travel experience for the common man. The new train will have some features similar to the Vande Bharat Express trains, an official told TOI.
However, unlike the Vande Bharat Express which is a self-propelled train set, the new modern train will be loco hauled. The catch is that while most Indian Railways trains are hauled by one locomotive, this will have locomotives at both ends. Importantly, with a locomotive at each end, the train will be able to make use of the push-pull technology for faster acceleration. This will also eliminate the need for locomotive reversal at the terminating station, hence reducing the turnaround time.
The LHB train will have 2 Second luggage, Guard & divyaang-friendly coaches, 8 Second Class unreserved coaches and 12 Second Class 3-tier Sleeper coaches. All coaches will be non-AC.
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The locomotives for this new train are being manufactured at the Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW) and the train coaches will be made at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai. ICF is the only Indian Railways coach factory that is currently manufacturing the Vande Bharat Express trains.
A railway official told TOI that the prototype of the new train is expected to be rolled out by the end of this year, with the Railway Board having set a target of October.
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Incidentally, railways had introduced the new Antyodaya Express for unreserved travel in 2017 with enhanced passenger amenities. But with the new train expected to get prominent features of the Vande Bharat Express, it is likely to be a step up from Antyodaya coaches as well.
