Here’s How India’s First Engineless Train Will Cruise At 160 Km Per Hour  

In what would count as a landmark development, the Indian Railways is set to commission the revolutionary Train 18 on the Delhi-Bhopal route by January 2019. The Integral Coach Factory (ICF) manufactured Train 18 is unique as it would run without a locomotive and achieve high speeds of up to 160 km/hr. The self-propelled train set has been named Train 18 after the year of its manufacture.

While Train 18’s working is similar to the metro trains and EMU’s running on suburban railways, what distinguishes the former is the capability to run at high speeds. Elaborating on the design of the new train set, ICF officials have stated that the traction system and power for lighting and air conditioning have been modularised and distributed across the train set.

The entire propulsion system has been underslung meaning that it is present below the chassis of each coach, unlike conventional systems where traction power is provided by locomotives while power for lighting and air-conditioning are drawn from generator coaches.

Train 18, which is expected to be fully air-conditioned will roll out by October for the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) to carry out extensive tests pursuant to which the train would be commissioned to replace the Shatabdi connecting Delhi and Bhopal.