Rajdhani, Shatabdi And Duranto Express Trains May Soon Run at 160 Kmph as Indian Railways Produces Semi High-Speed Passenger Locomotive
The indigenous WAP-7HS locomotive is built by Chittaranjan Locomotive Works for Indian Railways under ‘Make in India’ initiative, capable of running at 160 kmph.
New Delhi, February 28: In a boost to the Indian Railways, Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW) has produced a semi-high-speed passenger WAP-7HS locomotive – capable of running at a speed of 160 kmph, as against the present maximum service speed is 140 kmph. The new locomotive engine is expected to facilitate operation of premium trains of Indian Railways such as Rajdhani Express, Shatabdi Express and Duranto Express at a higher speed in coming days and is built under the ‘Make in India’ initiative.
According to the report, published in the Financial Express, the new WAP-7HS locomotive will be put into service after statuary tests and trials by GZB shed (Electric Loco Shed Ghaziabad) of Northern Railway zone. Both the design and development of the locomotive have been done indigenously at the Chittaranjan Locomotive Works, located in Asansol district of West Bengal. Indian Railways to Provide Jerk-Free Rides on Rajdhani, Superfast, Duronto, Shatabdi Trains by March-End.
Among the distinct features, the new locomotive weighs 14 tonnes less than the previous model and has a changed gear ratio of 3.2 (70:22) from 3.6 (72:20). The new simulation has been done has been carried out in order to optimise slip-slide control as well as tractive effort. Also, medication in the software has been incorporated in the new locomotive.
Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off an all-new converted energy-efficient electric locomotive in Varanasi. The new locomotive specialises in converting a diesel locomotive into an electric one for the first time in the entire world and was built by Varanasi’s Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW). The entire project was completed in a record duration of 69 days, starting from December 22, 2017, to February 28, 2018.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 28, 2019 01:44 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).