Indian trains six minutes slower than overseas counterparts in clocking 110kmph

The admission was made by a highly placed railway officer who took part in a panel discussion on the inaugural day of the three-day International Rail Coach Expo (IRCE) being held at ICF (Integral Coach Factory).

Representing National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited, the senior officer admitted that even the high-speed trains operated by IR take up to seven minutes to clock 110 kmph, while the international standard is less than a minute. The panelist who listed out a host of reasons for the slow acceleration recommended development to track, rolling stock and improvement of crossings to better the rate of acceleration.

Pertinently, the first rake of “Train 18”, indigenously built self-propelled trains being manufactured by ICF (Currently, three shells of “Train 18” are ready at the workshop in Perambur) would be rolled out in July 2018.

Chairman of Railway Board Ashwani Lohani, who was among the audience when the officer made the admission, later confidently said that there would be a paradigm shift in passenger experience when the proposed developments in Indian railways are implemented. Ironically, Lohani said this while stating that the deadline for fitting bio-toilets in all coaches used by railways was deferred by three months to March 2019.