RCF rolls out 12 coaches for railways’ Buddhist circuit
KAPURTHALA: With exterior vinyl design and five-star facilities, Rail Coach Factory (RCF) on Wednesday rolled out a rake of 12 special coaches for the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC)’s Buddhist circuit tourist train.
The coaches were manufacture with a cost of ₹35 crore and have the capacity to run at a speed of 130 km/hr on the tracks.
The rake was handed over by RCF principal chief mechanical engineer P Sinha to IRCTC group general manager Awadesh Kumar, to take the coaches to Delhi.
Kumar said the IRCTC is yet to decide on the fair but a marginal hike is expected over the already running Buddhist circuit tourist trains with old coaches.
The new coaches are equipped with world-class facilities to attract international Buddhist tourists from Japan, China, Thailand, Sri Lanka and other Buddhist countries. The railway minister will launch this train from Delhi on December 8, said Kumar.
Sinha said the tourist rake was customized in six months only, keeping in view the special needs of international tourists for a comfortable and pleasurable journey.
He said the rake was built on the pattern of Maharaja Express tourist train that is already being run by the IRCTC and was developed by Cox and Kings.
The rake comprises four first AC coaches, two second AC coaches, two AC dining cars, two power cars, one-third AC coach for staff and one pantry car.
FACILITIES PROVIDED
“The coaches are equipped with modern features like free wifi, bio-vaccuum toilets, upgraded modular toilets and bathrooms, CCTV cameras, smoke and fire detection system in all coaches, fire suppression system in pantry and power car coaches, public address system and a medical team for comfort and safety of passengers,” he said.
The exterior of coaches has been provided with fleet graphic film, depicting rich heritage and culture of India through various monuments and symbols.
The first and second AC coaches are provided with two shower rooms and two western style toilets with fittings such as touchless tap, soap dispenser and hand dryer, gel coated wash basin shelf, marble finish interior panelling having anti-graffiti coating and others.
The coaches are also provided with lockers for valuables. Moreover, the second AC coach has the provision of a comfortable sofa with adjustable reading lights.
The passenger capacity for these coaches is 24 passengers for first AC and 30 passengers for second AC. The dining car of the rake can accommodate 64 passengers.
“Dining car is equipped with aesthetically pleasing LED/decorative lighting, electrically operated Venetian blind windows, dining tables in teakwood finish, glass table tops and stainless steel partition frames with medium density fibreboard,” he said.