Rajdhani Express trains to get faster, more seats: Read how?

New Delhi : With twin-engine operation, the Indian Railways will soon be making the Rajdhani Express trains faster with an option to add two passenger cars or over 100 seats on the train.

With the new system, power required to run AC on the train can be taken from the overhead cable, instead of two power cars currently attached to the train. With this, the two power coaches can be replaced with two passenger coaches. Currently, the Rajdhani Express has 22 coaches that can carry 1,200 passengers.

The Research Design and Standards Organisation of the Indian Railways certified the twin-engine operation on express trains on February 7.

The first commercial run on Mumbai-Delhi Rajdhani Express was done on February 13. The train reached the destination 106 minutes earlier than the scheduled time.

The railways’ internal report says another 10 minutes can be saved through minor changes. “By push-pull arrangement of locomotives equipped with hotel load converter, both end power car may also be replaced by passenger coaches. We have proposed all Rajdhanis to be operated under push-pull method as it will not only save time but also increase the revenue by giving space for more passengers,” a senior railway official told Hindustan Times.

“This [twin-engine operation] is a tested method across the world and we are hopeful of implementing it in a big way. The operation of twin WAP7 loco in push-pull mode has been planned and for this one pair of WAP7 loco and rake has been modified. It will result in significant saving in running time around 116 minutes between New Delhi-Mumbai,” said another railway official.

“Coupler forces [that connect two coaches] are universally distributed when one engine is at the front and one at the back. They have been synched through wire which runs from front to back. Once the decision is approved, the Railway Board can take a call on manufacturing of more engines,” the person added.