New Delhi: On its trial run, Train18 has nudged out Shatabdi to claim the title of the country's fastest train as it crossed the 180 kilometres per hour (kmph) mark during a trial run in the Kota-Sawai Madhopur section.
Sharing a video of the trial run in his tweet, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said, "Train 18, manufactured domestically under the 'Make in India' initiative, seen scorching the tracks at a phenomenal 180 kmph during speed trials in Rajasthan."
Train 18, India's first engineless train, is reportedly going to start operations from December 25 from New Delhi to Varanasi. "Christmas Day also happens to be the birthday of late prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and it would be a tribute to the great statesman of the country if we manage to launch the next-generation train on that day," a senior official was quoted as saying by a news agency.
The engineless train will take about eight hours to reach Varanasi from New Delhi and will reduce the travel time by six hours. According to the schedule, the train will depart at 6 am and will arrive in Varanasi by 2 pm. On its return journey, the train will depart at 2.30 pm from Varanasi and will arrive in Delhi by 10.30 pm. Fares are yet to be decided. Since the input cost is high, it's very likely that the fare will also be higher than normal.