[blackwasp]

Indian Railways' coach manufacturing unit, The Rail Coach Factory (RCF) Kapurthala has rolled out a semi high-speed double-decker coach that can run at a top speed of up to 160 kilometres per hour (kmph), according to the Railways.
The RCF has develeoped the new double-decker coach that can carry more and more passengers in a single train journey in shortest possible time.

Once these coaches get the necessary approval from the Research Design and Standards Organisation(RDSO), it will be operated in the busiest routes of Indian Railways.

The coach will be sent to RDSO, Lucknow for further oscillation trials before putting in commercial service.

RCF has also produced non-AC double decker coaches on conventional "ICF" design pattern in 1990. It has also produced the first AC double decker coach in March 2010 which can operate at a speed of 130kmph. Later the RCF produced 'UDAY' double decker coaches with more features.

The new double-decker coach is equipped with the most modern amenities and design, and has a capacity of 120 seats. The upper deck can seat 50 passengers and the lower deck 48, it said.

The middle deck on the rear ends has 16 seats on one side and six on the other, the Railways added.

Other Features
The coach has optimised aisle width for a comfortable journey, plush interiors, overhead luggage rack, mobile and laptop charging sockets, GPS-based passenger information system and LED destination board among other passenger-centric features.

The entry to the passenger area is through automatic sliding doors and a mini pantry too has been built in each coach to store and serve hot or chilled refreshments to passengers, a Railways statement said.

Source

[Sreesh1009]

I initially read the threads name as "ICE rolls out 160km/h" I thought this was some sort of technical thread xD

Very impressed with the Indian Railways and pace at which they are constantly improving their trains and services. From water not falling at 120kph to these beautiful double decker coaches. Just hope that the people traveling in them help maintain them as well.

[AirbusCapt]

Why is the finishing so shoddy on these coaches? Can't they manage to get a smooth body and paint finish on them? Are they still painting using brushes and a ladder?

[srishiva]

What is 160KN ? not kilometres ?

Doesnt really exude quality. Maybe its the metal presses they use and also the painting. They are by the way the largest and most modern coach builders of Indian Railways Our trains still feel like we are travelling in decades old transport apparatus.

[binaiks]

Originally Posted by srishiva

What is 160KN ? not kilometres ?

These coaches have improved 160 Kilo Newtons Air Spring suspension. The older coaches were also considered fit for 160kmph, but the horizontal oscillations were creating problems, and they had to put in speed restrictions. On SR, double decker coaches are permit to run only at 100kmph due to this problem. These new ones have better suspension, and they hope the oscillation would be lower, and allow these coaches to attain higher speeds.

[dileepcm]

Everything from top to bottom looks horrible to me. Paint scheme is not only boring but also lacks finishing. So are the interiors. First interior photo above looks like it's already many years old. Panel gaps on roof, cable ties for supporting wiring etc. makes a high statement of how unprofessional things are when it comes to coach design and building.

[fhdowntheline]

I am reminded of my journeys back in the days in the Sinhagad Express double decker coaches. This was one train that seemed to stop at too many stations from Pune to Mumbai CST, but on time, more or less.
Never enjoyed the feeling of sitting too close to the tracks though.

[vigsom]

Sharing my experiences with seats on the current Double Decker coaches that have been doing duty since 2013. Although the coach looks very bright and airy inside, the seats, built by Sutlej, leaves a lot to be desired :

* The worst seats I've ever sat in
* Seat back was no wider than 1.25 times the length of a Reynolds 045 pen
* Seat bottom used to sag forward and that would make travel a pain post 30 minutes
* Seat back would recline no more than 30 degrees

I have travelled 5 hours sitting on the steps instead of being in my seat. That should give you an idea of which worked better for me.

The worst seats to be in are right in the center (at the table) in the lower deck. For all this discomfort, one pays the same fare as that for travel in a conventional chair car, which has more overhead storage, better seats, and more legroom.

From the looks of the new coaches, the seats look marginally better now. I only hope passenger comfort has been addressed in the new seats design.

On the finish of the coaches, all LHB coaches have this imperfection on the exterior, which, in my view, is because of lower metal thickness and isn't a point of concern. The paint finish is never glossy, and doesn't need to be so.

[RavSam]

First of all that's a trial coach so let the finishing be. The color scheme is subjective but that combination does stand out. We are not subtle like Germany to have grey, white, black colour trains which will looking boring for our background.

Then, we have the well finished Gatimaan express which just lost its sheen within few days of running due to accidents.

On Tejas express, people damaged the screens, stole taps.

Also in some premium trains people stole mattresses, spit inside the wash basin clogging it, broke charging points and what not on the first day!

And here we are expecting an European like finish on the train, with even the most expensive tickets (bar the luxury trains) not being more than USD 100!

Come one guys! We can expect the moon. But we the people don't have the sense to maintain the moon.

I love Indian railways for what they offer, just don't expect ultra premium for the few amount that you pay above the standard prices because the standard prices themselves are rock bottom!

If we can't maintain it, we definitely don't deserve it. Look at Mumbai suburban local trains which were beautiful on day 1 only to get paan stained and stickers peeled off from day 2.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by vigsom

Sharing my experiences with seats on the current Double Decker coaches that have been doing duty since 2013.
* The worst seats I've ever sat in

Second that - however, I'd say they are the worst AC seats I have ever sat in (non-AC chair car seats are similarly bad IIRC). Multiple Chennai - Bangalore trips have been on the Shatabdi and the double-decker if the former isn't available. Even if I compare to normal AC chair car (Mumbai - Pune Indrayani express, etc.), these are really bad.

But I believe it's a hit considering these are run on routes with high travel numbers so the higher chances of seat availability makes it a win-win for both Railways and the passengers. For a huge % of population, seat availability is a bigger problem than aesthetics or the (relative) comfort of a seat for a few hours I guess.


To the experts a question - I always assumed the railway tracks played a bigger role on enabling faster travel speeds, remember reading some recent update on tracks in Northern & Western Karnataka being upgraded to support faster speeds. Is the 160 kmph rating apply more from a comfort aspect (suspension, etc.)?

[landcruiser123]

The double decker (from SBC-MAS) is just not comfortable for the 5’11” tall me. I think it is a compromise with no comfort or luggage space.

Think of it, the real problem with Indian railways is not fast coaches, it is the lack of signaling and track capacity. Most of the rolling stock in India is easily capable of 140 km/h. Even with the 100km/h limit on the old carriages, journeys like Bangalore-Chennai (360 km) aren’t achieved in under 4 hours.

[Rahul Bhalgat]

Originally Posted by vigsom

* The worst seats I've ever sat in
* Seat back was no wider than 1.25 times the length of a Reynolds 045 pen
* Seat bottom used to sag forward and that would make travel a pain post 30 minutes
* Seat back would recline no more than 30 degrees

I have travelled 5 hours sitting on the steps instead of being in my seat. That should give you an idea of which worked better for me.

Originally Posted by dileepcm

Everything from top to bottom looks horrible to me. Paint scheme is not only boring but also lacks finishing. So are the interiors. First interior photo above looks like it's already many years old. Panel gaps on roof, cable ties for supporting wiring etc. makes a high statement of how unprofessional things are when it comes to coach design and building.

Originally Posted by AirbusCapt

Why is the finishing so shoddy on these coaches? Can't they manage to get a smooth body and paint finish on them? Are they still painting using brushes and a ladder?

I understand that you gentlemen are commenting on the finish and ergonomics. But please don't be surprised if you don't see these coaches doing regular duty at 120-140 kmph.

Some news may be just for making headlines. They only have an advertisement value. I have noticed this especially in past few years.

[Cessna182]

This looks similar to the Ahmedabad Mumbai double decker train. I traveled in it many times and did not find it too different from the regular chair cars. Having said that, it does look like the railways could do with a bit of better interior and exterior aesthetics. When compared to the metro coaches built in India, the finish is very poor in these.

[papr23]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Second that - however, I'd say they are the worst AC seats I have ever sat in

I third that! Worst seats ever. I once got a middle seat in a 6hr journey with an XL sized guy to my left and a lady to my right. I had no option but to give up the seat and stand throughout the journey. If you are moderately big you must avoid this train no matter how fast it goes.

[jkrishnakj]

Takes me back to the late 90's when my primary commute between Pune - Mumbai used to be the double decker Sinhagad express. While the 'fancy' factor remains, I remember being very uncomfortable back then, travelling by the Non A/C coaches.

It was a pain to be seated on the windows at the bottom deck of the coach. People sitting above will finish their food and wash hands in the moving train. The trash used to fly out from the upper deck and invariably, used to find someone's face at the bottom deck followed by a mist of water droplets falling off from above.

One more big drawback was when the train used to speed through stations that doesn't have a scheduled halt. At the lower deck, your seating position is at a height below the platforms and when it speeds thru the tracks adjacent to the platform, the face used to be full of dust and muck and everything else that the whirlwind caused by the speeding train can throw at you.

Forgettable experiences.

Hopefully, this being air conditioned, people won't will be spared of such issues.