Indian Railways launches Tejas Express services
INDIAN Railways (IR) launched its new Tejas Express premium long-distance service on May 22, when railways minister Mr Suresh Prabhu flagged off the inaugural train from Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus to Karmali in Goa.
Services will operate five days a week in the non-monsoon season and three days a week during the monsoon (June 10 - October 31), with a journey time of eight-and-a-half hours for the 579km trip.
The fully-air-conditioned train is formed of 20 coaches including one executive-class car, which seats 56 passengers, and 12 AC class vehicles each seating 78. The fare for the Mumbai - Karmali service is Rs 1280 ($US 19.83) in AC accommodation and Rs 2680 in executive.
Features include LED seat-back passenger information screens, USB charging points, at-seat attendant call buttons, vending machines, passenger Wi-Fi, CCTV, power-operated doors and bio-vacuum toilets. IR says the onboard menu has been devised by celebrity chefs.
The vehicles were built at the Rail Coach Factory in Kapurthala, Punjab, and are designed for 200km/h operation but are currently limited to a maximum of 160km/h.
Indian Railways is planning to introduce Tejas Express services on the Delhi - Chandigarh and Delhi - Lucknow routes later this year.