Coaches of Kalka-Shimla train to get makeover
The Indian Railways is set to give a makeover to the 120-year-old Kalka-Shimla Railway by replacing its coaches, built during the British time, with indigenously manufactured coaches.
NEW DELHI: The Indian Railways is set to give a makeover to the 120-year-old Kalka-Shimla Railway by replacing its coaches, built during the British time, with indigenously manufactured coaches. The railways said the replacement would be completed soon with a plan to attach a mini-pantry and bio-toilets fixed in each coach of the UNESCO World Heritage train that runs on narrow gauge.
The Railway Coach Factory in Punjab’s Kapurthala will manufacture the new coaches. Railway sources said the heritage train still runs with a set of coaches, which were designed over a century back by the Mughalpura workshop, which is now in Lahore.
On Tuesday, railway ministry released the photographs of the newly designed coaches to be used with the Kalka-Shimla heritage train that covers 96.6 km in about five-and-a-half hours. The railways said such a makeover would “unleash the passengers’ Himalayan wanderlust” in the lap of nature.
A senior official told this newspaper that the railway granted the final approval to the proposed design last year. The coaches will have 1st class AC Chair cars, AC chair normal and non-AC chair cars with a guard carriage.
The Kapurthala factory reportedly manufactured two prototypes in September 2022 and these were tested as per the norms of the Research Designs & Standards Organisation in October 2022 for assessing the coaches’ static stress analysis.
“The prototype coaches were also tested at speeds higher than the sanctioned capacity to determine the stability and ride quality,” said an official. The interiors of the heritage train will exhibit the local cultural grandeur. Other facilities which are being made available include noise-vibration proofing, anti-UV-coated window glasses, bio-toilets, power windows in upper classes, darkening vista glass in upper classes, powered doors, LED lights and other modern amenities for giving a soothing travelling experience to the passengers.
On Track
- Coaches to have 1st class AC Chair cars, AC chair normal and non-AC chair cars with a guard carriage
- Railway Coach Factory in Punjab’s Kapurthala will manufacture the new coaches
- Train now covers 96.6km in five-and-a-half hours
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