India's first engine-less train, Train 18, to go on trial run today

New Delhi: The maiden trial run of country’s first engine-less train will be conducted today on Bareilly-Moradabad section on a standard railway track.

‘Train 18’, developed by the Integral Coach Factory and seen as a successor to the prestigious 30-year-old Shatabdi Express, was flagged off by Railway Board chairman Ashwani Lohani on October 29.

The 16-coach fully air-conditioned train, driven by a self-propulsion module, can run at a speed of up to 160 kmph and comes with technical features for enhanced quick acceleration.

The indigenously developed high-tech, energy-efficient train, ‘Train 18’ is built at a cost of Rs 100 crore in the span of 18 months. It is the first long-distance train without a separate locomotive or engine.

A team of the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RSDO) has reached Moradabad for the trial run.

High-speed trials will be conducted between Kota and Sawai Modhopur after the Moradabad trials.

Meanwhile, the Railways on Friday has downplayed reports that the train had developed glitches, saying they were minor and such issues were a routine occurrence during the trial phase of any train.

A senior official in the railways said such glitches were routine during trial-runs and that the Rs 100-crore train, developed by the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai, had no major issues.

"Some fuses went off while conducting the low-speed run in the city. They were fixed immediately. There was nothing to worry about," the official told PTI, reacting to reports in a section of media that the train was hit by glitches.

After finishing the trials in Chennai, ‘Train 18’ left for Delhi on November 11 and reached the capital two days later.

“After the test-run, the Train 18 was hauled by a locomotive to take it to Delhi as it should not run on its own until the Commission of Railway Safety certifies it,” the official said.