RailEnquiry

BANGALORE: It had kept everyone guessing for a year. After the railway budget announced last year that a double decker train would run between Bangalore and Chennai, the train did arrive, albeit on a trial run, in the city from the Tamil Nadu capital. The shining new red and yellow train arrived on Platform no 1 on Sunday afternoon taking passengers by a pleasant surprise. The new train is expected to begin operations in March.

Designed to run at a speed of 160km per hour, the train can travel at a section speed of 105-110 kmph between the two cities. The Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) is expected to cap the operational speed at 100kmph.

The double decker could take four-and-a-half hours to reach Chennai from Bangalore, down from the five hours taken by other trains.

The train was tested on tracks for the first time on Sunday. by officials from Lucknow's Railway Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO), Chennai and Bangalore railway divisions.

There are already two double decker trains running between Delhi and Jaipur, and Howrah (Kolkata) and Dhanbad in Jharkhand, having 12 and five coaches, respectively.

The Bangalore-Chennai double decker will have 11 air-conditioned coaches each with a seating capacity of 120. Every coach will have seats in two decks with food trays attached at the back of each seat. Every row will be provided with bottle holders, push back seats, windscreens and charging socket.

The vestibular gap between two coaches is lesser than in regular trains, increasing the length of the coaches so that stairs to go to upper or down lower decks are accommodated.

The train is expected to go on a second trial next week before obtaining a clearance certificate. The double decker train will be in addition to Brindavan Express that shuttles daily between the two state capitals. The train has 70% more seating capacity than Brindavan Express and 30 odd more than that of Bangalore-Chennai Shatabdi Express.

The train is fitted with German technology chassis provided by Lukwe Holfmann Busch (LHB). The chassis ensures that coaches do not pile up in case of mishaps.

The train colour is also an LHB trademark and coaches are being readied at the coach factory in Kapurthala, Punjab.

The half hour show at Bangalore City station gave people a chance to click away shots of the new train.

Looking forward