From auto janitor to CCTV, expect these in new-look Rajdhani Express trains

The Indian Railways' bid to make its passengers' journeys more comfortable and pleasant got another shot in the arm on Wednesday when the new 'Swarna' coaches of the Rajdhani Express, with facilities such as 'auto janitor' system in toilets and LED lighting, were on Wednesday unveiled at the New Delhi Railway Station.  

While these coaches have initially been provided for the Sealdah-New Delhi Rajdhani, passengers, especially those travelling between Kolkata and Delhi, have more reason to cheer as this passenger initiative would be extended to another three trains of Howrah-New Delhi Rajdhani and two trains of Sealdah-New Delhi Rajdhani and the Howrah-Ranchi Shatabdi Express. In fact, according to the Financial Express, the Howrah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express will be ready after being fitted with these new coaches in 15 days.  

Eastern Railways Principal Chief Mechanical Engineer Ravinder Gupta told the financial daily that they have been asked to upgrade three premium trains — the "Sealdah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express, Howrah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express, and the Howrah-Ranchi Shatabdi Express train". Further, Gupta informed the financial daily that the "first upgraded rake of Howrah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express should be ready by December 8 and the Ranchi Shatabdi should be done by December 10". 

In fact, you do not need to wait to enjoy these new and improved railway facilities. As reported on Wednesday, the first rake of the Sealdah-New Delhi Rajdhani with improved features was pressed into service on November 28, 2017. An expenditure of about Rs 35 lakh has gone into this rake, which translates to less than Rs 2 lakh per coach. 

As reported earlier, the Railways' Swarn project aims to upgrade premium trains like Rajdhani and Shatabdi. Further, around 15 Rajdhani and 15 Shatabdis trains will be reportedly upgraded in this exercise at a total cost of about Rs 25 crore. The project was launched during the tenure of Suresh Prabhu as Railways Minister. A target budget of Rs 50 lakh per rake was allowed for this purpose.  

Here's what passengers can expect to find aboard these revamped coaches:

As reported earlier, the revamped trains are being overhauled with better features and services. As part of this plan, new onboard entertainment features will also be provided to commuters. The coaches of these trains will have fresh, new interiors and will cater to the basic needs of travellers. After the overhaul, the coaches will also provide cleaner toilets with automatic doors. 

An interior view of the new, improved Rajdhani coaches. Photo: @RailMinIndia (Twitter)

An interior view of the new, improved Rajdhani coaches. Photo: @RailMinIndia (Twitter)
 

According to agency reports, the new features are: complete interior painting in an aesthetic international colour scheme and LED lighting to improve illumination, better hygiene by providing 'auto janitor' system in toilets, night signage for easy identifications of berth numbers, built-in ladders for First-AC passengers for easy access to upper berth, and CCTV cameras in doorway area and aisles to monitor any suspect activity with data storage, among others. 

An interior view of the new, improved Rajdhani coaches. Photo: @RailMinIndia (Twitter)

An external view of the new, improved Rajdhani coaches. Photo: @RailMinIndia (Twitter)
 

 

The added features in toilets are: vinyl wrapping of toilet doors for improved aesthetics, poxy coating, provisioning of extra mats to improve hygiene standards and to provide a dry toilet to passengers with improved cleanliness, and polished commodes and basins to make them odour free in every trip. 

This initiative is in keeping with the Railways' focus on providing better amenities to passengers. The Tejas Express, which was branded as a luxury train with ultra-modern amenities, was launched in May this year. Apart from the automatic doors, Wi-Fi, and LCD screens, the menu had also been an area of focus.