Seven Type of Coaches Re-Furbished for Enhanced Passenger Comfort and Facility in the Model Rake 

Mahamana Express is the First Train to have a Seamless Run on Electric Traction from Varanasi to New Delhi via Recently Completed Ghaziabad-Moradabad Route 

Regular Run of 22418/22417 New Delhi-Varanasi-New Delhi Tri weekly Superfast Express Train from 25.01.2016 

Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi, flagged off the 02417 Varanasi-New Delhi Superfast( Special Train) Mahamana Express with Model Rake through remote control this morning(22.01.2016) at a ceremony held at Diesel Locomotive Works, Varanasi.  Shri Manoj Sinha, Hon’ble Member of State for Railways, Shri Thavar Chand Gehlot, Hon’ble Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, Shri Kalraj Mishra, Hon’ble Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Shri Krishanpal Gujjar, Hon’ble Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Shri Vijay Sampla, Hon’ble Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises were the dignitaries who graced the occasion. Senior Railway Officers Shri A.K.Puthia, General Manager, Northern Railway and Divisional Railway Manager, Northern Railway, Lucknow Shri A.K.Lahoti were also present on the occasion.

           At Varanasi Cantt end, Shri Sanjiv Garg, Chief Operations Manager, Shri Gyan Prakash, Chief Commercial Manager, Shri Anil Handa Chief Mechanical Engineer, Shri Ghanshyam Singh Chief Electrical Engineer, Shri Ajay Vijayvargiya Chief Signal & Telecommunications Engineer, Shri M.N.Ojha Addl. Divisional Railway Manager, Lucknow of Northern Railway were present.

           In order to bring about enhanced comfort to all classes of coaches, both air-conditioned as well as non-air-conditioned coaches, progressively, the Indian Railways had planned for a Model Rake Project. The new Model Rake developed is a refurbished and re-adapted version of seven types of coaches which have been servicing for the past 10-12 years on Indian Railways. In the design and development of this Model Rake, the Indian Railways had factored in the varied needs of each category of coach to bring in suitable interiors. Some of the special features of the Model Rake include:

·         Modular Panels without visible screws and minimum maintenance hatches  inside passenger area for better safety and aesthetics

·         Use of superior material for panels in terms of toxicity index and fire retardation.

·         Ergonomically designed Ladders for climbing up to upper berths provided in all sleeper coaches.

·         Aesthetically appealing toilet modules provided with enhanced passenger amenities - big mirror, platform washbasin, controlled discharged water tap, odour control system, exhaust fan, LED lights, dustbin inside the toilet to name a few.

·         Shifting of electrical junction points from passenger area to non-passenger area in a centralised distribution board for enhanced safety.

·         Use of e-beam cables and polyamide conduits for enhanced electrical and fire safety.

·         Use of LED Lighting to enhance illumination & service durability while minimizing power consumption.

·         Enhanced scale of light fittings including berth reading lights in GSCN(Sleeper) Coaches and embarking light in all classes of coaches.

·         The scale of mobile/ laptop charging points have been increased in all classes of coaches.

·         LED based berth indicators cum night light for reserved coaches provided to assist passengers boarding train in night.

·         Provision of fire extinguisher in all coaches.

·         Provision of electrically operated chimney in Pantry Car.

·         Stainless steel panelling in Luggage Compartment.

           Speaking on the occasion, Minster of State for Railways Shri Manoj Sinha said that this is also the first train to have a seamless run on electric traction from Varanasi to New Delhi. Indian Railway had recently commissioned the electrification of 140 km Ghaziabad-Moradabad residual stretch on the Varanasi-Delhi route.

           Following the inaugural run of the Mahamana Express, the regular operations of the 22418/22417 New Delhi-Varanasi-New Delhi Tri Weekly Superfast Mahamana Express Train will commence from 25.01.2016.

           The basic fare of Varanasi-New Delhi Mahamana Express (Tri-weekly) shall be 15% higher than the normal Mail/Express basic fares except fares for second class (unreserved) which will only be superfast Mail/Express fare of regular train services instead of 15% higher than normal Mail/Express basic fares. 

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VP/MKV/MN/DK