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Comment: This article is about the rolling stock used by Vande Bharat Express (train service) and both are not the same article as they may seem by the name, as the rolling stock don't have its own separate name and is known by its service name only.
| Vande Bharat Express (Trainset) | |
|---|---|
 Vande Bharat Express | |
| Stock type | Electric Multiple Unit |
| Manufacturer | Integral Coach Factory, Chennai |
| Designer | Integral Coach Factory Medha Servo Drives (Pvt.) Ltd. |
| Assembly | Chennai |
| Constructed | 2018–present |
| Entered service | 2019 |
| Number under construction | 115 |
| Number built | VB 1.0: 2 VB 2.0: 56 |
| Formation | 8 OR 16 car formation |
| Operators | Indian Railways |
| Specifications | |
| Car body construction | Spotwelded Stainless Steel, FRP |
| Train length | 384 metres (1,260 ft) (16 coach) 192 metres (630 ft) (8 coach) |
| Car length | 24,000 millimetres (79 ft) (coupler to coupler) |
| Width | 3,240 millimetres (10.63 ft) |
| Height | 4,140 millimetres (13.58 ft) |
| Floor height | 1,320 millimetres (4.33 ft) |
| Entry | Automatic sliding foot step |
| Doors | Automatic Sliding Single Leaf Plug Doors (2 per side per coach) |
| Wheel diameter | 952mm (new)
915mm (half worn) 877mm (fully worn) |
| Wheelbase | 2,700 millimetres (2.7 m) |
| Maximum speed | 180 kilometres per hour (110 mph) (Tested Speed) 160 kilometres per hour (99 mph) (Certified for Commercial Run) 200 kilometres per hour (120 mph) (Upgradable) |
| Weight | VB 1.0: 1,014.32 tonnes (1,014,320 kg) VB 2.0: 966.72 tonnes (966,720 kg) |
| Axle load | VB 1.0: 21t VB 2.0: 17t |
| Traction system | IGBT-VVVF inverter control
VB 1.0: Forced Air Cooling Medha MAE675U VB 2.0: Water cooling Medha MAE675UV2 |
| Traction motors | VB 1.0: Medha TME 49-35-4 VB 2.0: Medha TME 49-30-4 |
| Power output | VB 1.0: 8,128 kW (10,900 hp) (16 coach formation) VB 2.0: 6,720 kW (9,010 hp) (16 coach formation) |
| Tractive effort | 113 kN (per Motor Car) |
| Transmission | AC-DC-AC 3-Phase electric |
| Acceleration | 0.8 m/s² |
| Deceleration | FS (EP+ED): 0.8 m/s²
FS (Auto Brake): 1.05 m/s² Emergency Brake: 1.15 m/s² |
| Auxiliaries | Auxiliary Converter Unit (PWM based IGBT converter) for Power Supply |
| Power supply | Power supplied by Auxiliary Converter Unit in two different voltages:
Output-1: 415V 3-Phase AC 50Hz Output-2: 110V DC |
| HVAC | 8TR (x2) RMPUs per coach 2TR RMPU for each driver's cab |
| Electric system(s) | 25 kV 50 Hz AC Overhead line |
| Current collector(s) | Pantograph Schunk WBL 22.03 (Normal height) OR |
| Wheels driven | 32 powered axles out of total 64 axles (50% powered axles) |
| Bogies | Bolsterless Bogies; with secondary stage Air Suspension & wheel mounted Disc Brake |
| Braking system(s) | Air, Regenerative, Electro-pneumatic Knorr Bremse ESRA Evolution Brake Control System Faiveley Brake System |
| Safety system(s) | TCAS (Kavach), Automatic Fire Detection, Alarm & Suppression system, Disaster Management Lights |
| Coupling system | Dellner Semi-Permanent Coupler (between coaches) CBC AAR-H Tight-lock coupler (on driving ends) |
| Headlight type | LED |
| Track gauge | Indian gauge 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge |
Vande Bharat Express is India's first indigenously built Semi- High speed trainset; based on the concept of Multi-unit Distributed Traction powered EMU trainsets; designed for mainline long distance operations.
It is jointly designed and manufactured by Integral Coach Factory and Medha Servo Drives (Pvt.) Ltd. at Perambur, Chennai under the Indian government's Make in India initiative. The service was named Vande Bharat Express on 27 January 2019. These trainsets will be replacing premium trains of Indian Railways, like Shatabdi, Rajdhani, Duronto Express etc. in coming days.
Background & History edit
Indian Railways wanted to introduce trainsets into its service from a long time to replace premium trains like Shatabdi Express; from locomotive hauled coaches to a Semi-high speed trainset. As Indian Railways was searching for suitable manufacturer, from where they could import trainsets, and later manufacture in India after signing a Transfer of Technology Agreement; a Spain based trainset manufacturer Talgo offered Indian Railways to allow them to conduct Speed Trails in India. Ministry of Railways approved the request put by Talgo, as trials were to be funded by Talgo themselves. Talgo brought 9 coaches in April 2016 to India for trials.[1] After extensive trials till September 2016, RDSO gave a Red flag to Talgo; even though the officials were impressed with Talgo's performance, it got rejected for various reasons; major reason being the design of coaches were not feasible for Indian Railways infrastructure.[2][3][4]
In 2016 Integral Coach Factory approached Ministry of Railways, with the idea of making a trainset indigenously at par with international standards with already available technology at half the cost compared to that of foreign manufacturers from where the Ministry was seeking to import from. Ministry finally approved the request in April 2017 and manufacturing commenced, and the first prototype was made and rolled out in just 18 months. The unit cost of the first prototype 16 coach trainset was approximately estimated at just ₹100 crore (US$13 million), and it is expected to go down further with subsequent production At the original price, it is estimated to be 40% cheaper than a similar trainset imported from Europe.
As ICF had set deadline for rolling out the first prototype by 2018, they kept the code name of the project as Train-18.[5]
Rake Formation & Depots edit
Traction Equipment Layout
Driving Trailer Coach (DTC)/ Non-Driving Trailer Coach (NDTC): These coaches have Compressor, Battery and Battery Charger units all mounted below the underframe.
Motor Coach (MC): These coaches have Line & Traction Converter and Brake Chopper units mounted below the underframe and the bogies of these coaches are fitted with Traction motors.
Trailer Coach (TC): These coaches have Transformer and Auxiliary Converter fitted below the underframe; whereas Pantograph and VCB fitted on the roof.
Abbreviations:
- DTC- Driving Trailer Coach
- NDTC- Non-Driving Trailer Coach
- MC- Motor Coach
- MC2- Motor Coach with electrical change over switch
- MC3- 180° rotated MC2
- TC- Trailer Coach having Pantograph
Class of Traveling:
- EC- Executive Chair Car (2x2 seats)
- CC- AC Economy Chair Car (3x2 seats)
| Coach No. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel Class | CC | EC | CC | |||||||||||||
| Power Configuration | DTC | MC | TC | MC2 | NDTC | MC | TC | MC2 | NDTC | MC | TC | MC2 | MC3 | TC | MC | DTC |
| Basic Power Units | Unit 1 | Unit 2 | Unit 3 | Unit 4 | ||||||||||||
| Seating Capacity | 44 | 78 | 78 | 78 | 78 | 78 | 78 | 52 | 52 | 78 | 78 | 78 | 78 | 78 | 78 | 44 |
| Coach No. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel Class | CC | EC | CC | |||||||||||||
| Power Configuration | DTC | MC | TC | MC2 | MC | TC | MC2 | NDTC | NDTC | MC2 | TC | MC | MC2 | TC | MC | DTC |
| Basic Power Units | Unit 1 | Unit 2 | Unit 3 | Unit 4 | ||||||||||||
| Seating Capacity | 44 | 78 | 78 | 78 | 78 | 78 | 78 | 52 | 52 | 78 | 78 | 78 | 78 | 78 | 78 | 44 |
| Coach No. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel Class | CC | EC | CC | |||||
| Power Configuration | DTC | MC | TC | MC2 | MC2 | TC | MC | DTC |
| Basic Power Units | Unit 1 | Unit 2 | ||||||
| Seating Capacity | 44 | 78 | 52 | 78 | 78 | 78 | 78 | 44 |
Depots edit
Shakurbasti, Mumbai Central, Chennai, Bilaspur, Howrah, Visakhapatnam, Wadi Bunder (CSMT)
First Generation edit
Two initial prototype trainsets manufactured by Integral Coach Factory & Medha Servo Drives (Pvt.) Ltd. in between 2017 & 2019, that are already in service are known as the First Generation of Vande Bharat Express trainsets; also known as Train-18.
Design & Development edit
The core design and dimensions of the coaches are almost similar to that of the LHB coaches. As there was a lack of Bogie and Interior designing experts; ICF hired consultants from Austria and Poland for the same; but made sure that Integral Coach Factory do not loose their Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) over it. M/s TRAKTIONS SYSTEME AUSTRIA & M/s Medha Servo Drives joint venture worked on designing the Bogie frame and the Traction motor in Hyderabad; while M/s EC ENGINEERING, Poland and Integral Coach Factory worked together in designing the interiors.[5]
For the first two prototype trainsets; Brake System, Automatic Sliding Plug Doors, Seats, Wheels & Axles are the only items which were imported, rest all the components were Made in India by various Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). Wheels & Axles were manufactured by a Czech Republic based company M/s BONATRANS; Brake systems were supplied by Knorr-Bremse, Germany; Automatic Sliding Plug Doors were imported from China and seats were imported from Spain and Italy. The Vande Bharat Express trainset is made up of 80% indigenously manufactured components, while 20% of the parts were imported .[6] The percentage of indigenously manufactured components will increase gradually with subsequent productions.
Trial Run edit
The first trial run was done on 29 October 2018 in Chennai. An Indian Railways official reported that "some fuses went off" during the trial in Chennai, but that the issue was minor and quickly fixed.[7] The trainset leaved for Delhi on 11th November and arrived on 13th November.[7] Testing commenced along a section of track between Bareilly and Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh on 17 November,[8] but the location was subsequently changed to the stretch of rail between Moradabad and Rampur due to unspecified issues with the initial section of track.[9] The Moradabad–Rampur testing occurred at low speeds ranging from 30–60 km/h (19–37 mph).[10] After the lower-speed testing, the train was moved to a section of track between Kota and Sawai Madhopur to be tested at operating speed.[8] A team of engineers from Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) supervised the testing and was given the go-ahead for the final speed test.[11]
During its trials, Train 18 reached speeds of 180 km/h (110 mph), the highest speed any train in India has reached in the trials, and finally got certified and found to be fit for 160 km/h (99 mph) commercial runs by the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) on 12 December 2018, that marked the end of oscillation trials and cleared to get introduced into commercial service.[12] First trainset was put to commercial service on 15th February 2019 as New Delhi - Varanasi Vande Bharat Express. Second trainset was innaugurated as New Delhi - Katra Vande Bharat Express on 5th October 2019.
Second Generation edit
The Second Generation Vande Bharat Express trainsets are also known as "Train-44" as it took 44 months for ICF to make its 1st prototype. Starting with the 2nd Generation Vande Bharat Express trainsets; it will be now manufactured by Modern Coach Factory, Raebareli and Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala along with Integral Coach Factory, Chennai
Passenger Variant edit
First trainset rolled out of ICF on 12th August 2022. The extensive Oscillation Trails were done between Chandigarh - Sanhewal,[13] Kota - Nagda[14] and Delhi - Agra sections. 1st rake commenced commercial service between Mumbai-Gandhinagar on 30th September,2022.
Difference between 1st & 2nd Generation trainsets edit
Second Generation carried the same exterior design as that of the First Generation, however many under the hood improvements were done to it, as suggested by Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) and Maintenance Depots.Feedbacks from the passengers traveled in the First Generation trainsets were also taken into consideration.
Major changes in the Second Generation compared to its First Generation are:[15]
- Seats were changed to pushback reclining type compared to slide-forward type reclining.
- Time to attain speed of 160 kmph is now reduced to 140 seconds, compared to 180 seconds earlier.
- The residual acceleration at 160 kmph will be 0.1 m/second as against 0.05 m/second.
- Four emergency windows were added in every coach.
- Kavach (TCAS), a SIL-4 certified indigenously developed train protection system; is provided to avoid collisions and prevent SPAD.
- Underslung electrical equipment can now withstand floods upto a height of 650 mm as of 400 mm earlier.
- VVVF compressors with Photo catalytic UV lamps were added to RMPU unit for germ free supply of air without voltage fluctuation caused by Neutral sections.
- Two 32 inches infotainment screens are given instead of four 24 inches screens in each coach.
- Coach Control Management System (CCMS) with 18 inch touch screen display are provided for monitoring the air-conditioning, communication and feedback to control centre/maintenance staff through GSM/GPRS.
- The 2nd Generation trainsets are now having four platform side cameras including rear view cameras outside the coach instead of two in the 1st Generation trainsets.
- SIL-2 certified Fire detection system based on an aerosol fire suppression system in all coaches are provided in place of a smoke detection system in the earlier generation trainsets.
- Two signal exchange lights were installed on the coaches for exchange of signals with the wayside stations.
- As there were frequent cases of filter choking of Auxiliary Converters & Traction Motors in 1st Generation trainsets; a separate ventilation duct with a bigger filter mesh is being provided on the sidewall and oil cooled Traction Converters are being used.
- The driver-guard communication comes with a voice recording facility now.
- There will also be Class 3 and 4 surge arrestors for electrical safety as against Class 2 and 3 surge arrestors earlier.
- Four emergency lights are provided in each coach for powering lights in case all electricity connections fail. The earlier generation trainsets did not have any emergency lights.
- The 2nd Generation trainsets has a battery backup of 3 hours compare to 1 hour earlier, for emergency systems. Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries are used and charged by 415 V AC current. In 1st Generation batteries were charged by DC current.
- Train Control & Management System (TCMS) is now SIL-2 certified, with two displays in each cab.
- Gigabit comfort network for Passenger Information System (PIS) and CCTV. CCTVs can record in 25fps.
- 415 V synchronized Auxiliary Converter is provided for 100% power availability incase of failure of Auxiliary converter, equivalent to one basic unit in place of one Auxiliary converter failure in 1st Generation trainsets.
- Ester oil (ClassK) and ClassH with enamel insulation for Transformer is used.
- Overall weight of 16 car trainset is reduced by 33.68 tons compared to its 1st Generation.
Highspeed Parcel Variant (Freight Metro) edit
It will be used mainly to carry parcels of e-commerce companies, that is presently monopolised by roadways. Indian Railways is planning to built 25 such trainsets with an aim to augment its freight market share in freight logistics from 28% to 40% by 2030 as a part of government's "PM Gati Shakti" initiative.[16] First rake is expected to rollout of Integral Coach Factory by December 2022.
Third Generation edit
Unlike in the previous two generations of Vande Bharat Express trainsets, in which there were only seats for daytime travel, suitable for 6-8 hours journey; The Third Generation will be having sleeping berths, having AC-1, AC-2 and AC-3 tier coaches for long distance overnight journey. However the carbody will be made of Stainless Steel; and the overall exterior design and features will be similar to that of its 2nd Generation trainsets. Indian Railways has already released tender for manufacturing of 200 3rd Generation Vande Bharat Express trainsets, and is expected to roll out first trainset by the end of 2024.[17]
Fourth Generation edit
The fourth generation Vande Bharat Express trains will be made of aluminum and will have sleeper coaches for long-distance journeys. These trainsets will have AC-1, AC-2, and AC-3 tier coaches. Indian Railways will be manufacturing total of 200 4th Generation trainsets in two variants (100 trainsets of each variant).[18] One variant will be based upon Distributed Power System (Self propelled) like its previous generations and will feature Tilting technology. Another variant will be based upon Concentrated Powercar System (Push-pull) and will feature Articulated bogies.
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Train from Spain: Talgo to run trial runs of faster trains in India - Train from Spain for India". The Economic Times. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
- ^ Ranjan, Rakesh (2 January 2018). "Talgo high-speed trains stop in their tracks after government waves red flag". India Today. New Delhi. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
- ^ "End of track for Talgo in India? Railways says 'needs modifications'". The Indian Express. 10 August 2016. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
- ^ Prasad, Pallavi (21 September 2016). "That Was Quite An Exhibition But Here's The Truth About Talgo". TheQuint. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
- ^ a b "The story behind Train 18: It had to run over tough opposition". Hindustan Times. 5 January 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
- ^ "Engineers say all Indians should be proud of indigenous Train 18". Hindustan Times. 18 February 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
- ^ a b Shah, Narendra (17 November 2018). "India's First Engine-Less Train, Vande Bharat Express To Go On Trial Run in UP Today". Metro Rail News. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
- ^ a b "India's first engine-less Train 18 to be test run today". Hindustan Times. 17 November 2018. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
- ^ "Train 18, India's First Engineless Train, Conducts Trial Run Successfully". NDTV. 18 November 2018. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
- ^ Sudhakar, Kanimozhi (20 November 2018). "Watch: Speed Trial of Engine-less 'Train 18' Held on Moradabad–Bareilly Route Today". India.com. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ^ "Special team to ensure speedy trials of India's first engine-less train". Business Standard India. 28 October 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
- ^ Jain, Smriti (2 December 2018). "Train 18 exclusive: Engine-less train becomes Indian Railways fastest at 180 kmph; truly remarkable feat!". Financial Express. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
- ^ "Third Vande Bharat train rake reaches Chandigarh for weeklong trial runs". The Indian Express. 19 August 2022. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
- ^ Livemint (26 August 2022). "Third Vande Bharat rake reaches 180 kmph during trials | Watch video". mint. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
- ^ Jain, Smriti (6 August 2022). "Vande Bharat Train: 15 new features Indian Railways passengers can look forward to; see pics". The Times of India. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
- ^ Sharma, Shantanu Nandan. "Railways eyeing lucrative ecommerce space, making Vande Bharat-like freight trains that can run at 160 kmph". The Economic Times. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
- ^ "Indian Railways Extends Deadline for Bids for 200 Third-Generation Vande Bharat Train Sets to October". News18. 9 July 2022. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
- ^ "Indian Railways to come out with tender for 200 fourth-generation Vande Bharat trains by August". Moneycontrol. Retrieved 23 August 2022.