Indian Railways to introduce 'Train 18' to replace Shatabdi Express

Indian Railway is introducing its first self-propelled, semi-high speed train for inter-city travel in June, 2018. Minister of Railway, Mr. Piyush Goyal took to his official Twitter account to make the announcement.

Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal tweeted, "A Giant Technology Leap: Indian Railways to roll out first self-propelled semi-high speed 'Make In India' train set for inter-city travel, which will provide passengers with state-of-the-art amenities, reduce travel time, and enhance their experience." Codenamed Train 18 based on the year it is being manufactured in, this self-propelled train would be able to travel at speeds of 160 kmph and will eventually replace Shatabdi Express trains on the Indian Railways network.

According to Indian Express, 'Train 18' is a 100 per cent 'Make in India' project and the train set is being manufactured at ICF (Integral Coach Factory) in Chennai. ICF claims that Train 18 will be manufactured at half the cost of a similar train set being imported! The train will have a stainless steel car body with LHB as the base design. It is set will be tested at speeds of 180 kmph. Unlike conventional trains, Train 18 will have continuous windows.