Rail service and travel by rail in the Indian subcontinent

[jis]

More scuttlebutt on Vande Bharat Sleeper. Initial sets being manufactured by ICF are 16 car sets with 1 First Class, 4 2 Tier Sleeper and 10 3 Tier Sleeper. Eventually they will have to go to at least 20 cars to not lose capacity compared to the current consists specially on the heavy routes. They might also have to do a number of consists with 2 First Class in the longer consists to accommodate the necessary capacity for the likes of the Howrah Rajdhani. These trains will have a central Pantry+Dorm Car. Additionally each Car will have a Pantry Annex to handle food service in the car.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.co...eper-trains/less-jerk/slideshow/104407824.cms

 

[jis]

Non A/C low cost Vande Bharat suitable for the pocket of the common man, is in the works. This was inevitable since still the majority of LD ridership is in General Second Class, Second Class Chair Car and 3 Tier Sleepers, all non-AC.

https://www.timesnownews.com/india/...-non-ac-trains-soon-details-article-101946148
These trains will most likely never operate over 130kph as IR has a policy of not operating non-AC trains at speeds above 130kph. They will basically be 16 LHB cars, Sitting and 3 Tier Sleepers with top and tail WAP-5 locomotives. They will be better performers than current mail/express because they will be essentially double the HP of current trains and will effectively have 8 powered axles instead of 4.

 

[jis]

Looks like Indian Railways is proceeding with an additional type of AC First Class car which copies many ideas from Amtrak's Viewliner Sleepers. These will be what in Amtrak parlance would be all Roomette cars, with 15 Roomettes for a total of 30 berths plus common facilities space for restrooms and small pantry area for staging food service and the most important linen closets one would presume.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com...ve-details/articleshow/104404643.cms?from=mdr
Oddly they talk of Aircraft Business Class. I did not realize that Aircraft Business Classes in general were anywhere near as comfortable as any First Class Sleeper on trains. But then they also call a car with large windows and small slits on the roof a Vista Dome Car. So there is that too A bit of warped perspective perhaps.

 

[jis]

Regular limited commercial service started across the new Padma Bridge between. Dhaka and Bhanga. Pending completion of the 86km Bhanga Jn. to Joshore - Khulna link in 2024, train will run to Faridpur via Bhanga.

There is a rumor that the Kolkata - Dhaka Maitree Express is likely to get rerouted via Darshana - Faridpur - Bhanga - New Padma Bridge - Dhaka as early as Nov 1, 2023. This will reduce its running time quite a bit as it will shorten the route by about 50km and it will be able to operate over about 80km of new route across the Padma at 120kph instead of the more normal Bangladesh speed of 100kph. The rolling stock used for that train is capable of operating at upto 160kph, and does so on other trains in India at upto such speed. However, so far no new timetable has been published. Until that happens it is but a rumor. Either way it is exciting times in Bangladesh, as if they needed more, what with elections just around the corner. Same is true of India across the border too.

Here is a newspaper article on the subject.

https://www.thedailyexpress.news/news/6512f72b4929de669a98a975
The additional information above was collected from several Bengali language sources.

 

[cirdan]

Looks like Indian Railways is proceeding with an additional type of AC First Class car which copies many ideas from Amtrak's Viewliner Sleepers. These will be what in Amtrak parlance would be all Roomette cars, with 15 Roomettes for a total of 30 berths plus common facilities space for restrooms and small pantry area for staging food service and the most important linen closets one would presume.

Will they allow 2-berth roomettes for single occupation as Amtrak does?

 

[jis]

Will they allow 2-berth roomettes for single occupation as Amtrak does?

Who knows? In general it is unlikely because they are forever short of supply of accommodation to meet demand. Already what is being emphasized is that it will have 30 or 32 berths instead of the current 24. That is the primary motivation.

 

[BlackDiamond]

Who knows? In general it is unlikely because they are forever short of supply of accommodation to meet demand. Already what is being emphasized is that it will have 30 or 32 berths instead of the current 24. That is the primary motivation.

I noticed on a recent video by Doc7Austin he somehow manages to score a single occupancy in a double berth AC1 compartment on the Rajdhani Express to Delhi. Since the specific room is not specified at reservation time but are handed out by the SCA or conductor, perhaps an extra large tip was able to secure the desired accommodation?

 

[jis]

I noticed on a recent video by Doc7Austin he somehow manages to score a single occupancy in a double berth AC1 compartment on the Rajdhani Express to Delhi. Since the specific room is not specified at reservation time but are handed out by the SCA or conductor, perhaps an extra large tip was able to secure the desired accommodation?

No they are not handed out by SCA or Conductor. The Reservation Charts are prepared at the central reservation office a few hours before departure, and then they are printed at the station of origin and at any enroute station that has quotas on the train for posting on the Platform Chart Boards, and also on the side of the carriages. But I am sure one could always try to bribe to try to get a switch done in your favor, though depending on your luck you may get what you want or get to spend a bit of time as the guest of IR but not on the train. It all depends. Nothing is fully predictable.

In my experience tickets purchased from the tourist quota would often be given a compartment to themselves if possible. Seems to reduce the amount of conflicts and complaints. There is a complex pecking order that they seem to use about how each reservation will get treated when it comes time for seat assignment. There are even times when one could get completely bumped if a Minister shows up with his entourage late in the game. Also single or a group of women will get placed in compartments where they do not have to share with males, even if it means leaving a berth empty. Still, their ways can be truly mysterious. One could even allege that legacy of the Raj lives on to some extent when it comes to access to the highest Class I am afraid, though I am sure that will be vehemently denied by the officialdom.

However, these days the AC1 fares are so close to air fares that they tend to not get fully booked quite often, and an argument continues within IR about how to position the AC1 fares viz-a-viz air fares, and how much AC1 accommodation to provide. Each AC1 in a fully configured rake means potential space for 75 passengers is being replaced by one for 24 (or 30 with these new cars). At present the Delhi - Howrah Rajdhani is the only train that carries two or three AC1s. All other trains that have AC1 generally carry 1 or half. Most trains do not have any AC1.

 

[Caesar La Rock]

Well after some delays, the Delhi–Meerut RRTS will open tomorrow or has opened. I saw news stories that it'll be known as the Namo Bharat.

 

[BlackDiamond]

Train washers! What a concept! Maybe Amtrak should consider it

 

[jis]

Inauguration of through service over the New Padma bridge is now slated for 1st November. There are four trains moving to the new bridge, three domestic intercity expresses, and the international Dhaka - Kolkata Maitree Express. Of these the Maitree Express will operate at 120kph on the new trackage, the first train to run at a speed above 100kph in commercial service. Between Padma Bridge and India it will be routed via Faridpur - Pordaha - Darshana - Gede. This train will run nonstop between the crew and engine border stop at Darshana and Dhaka Cantonment, running nonstop through the main terminal of Dhaka at Kamalapur. There is no Customs and Immigration facility at Kamalapur. That facility is at Dhaka Cantonment.

The domestic express trains are the following routes (I don't remember their names):

• Dhaka - Khulna, reroute of the current train which runs via the Jamuna Bridge saving considerable amount of time.
• Dhaka - Benapole (on the Indian border), rerouting of the current train which runs via Jamuna Bridge.
• Rajshahi - Dhaka, extension of the current Rajshahi to Bhanga service.

Timetable details will be published soon.

The trains operating on the new bridge are generally getting a bump in fare of 15% or so to pay the equivalent of "bridge toll". Then again it will save a few hours or more using the new bridge compared to the previous routes.

A large proportion of the additional fare is to retire the loan from the Chinese as early as possible. China tried to convince Bangladesh to not worry too much about repayment by placing the loan under the Belt and Road Initiative extendable loan program. Bangladesh refused to have anything to do with BRI and said they will stick with the original terms of the loan based on the fixed interest rate agreement with no prepayment penalty.

 

[cirdan]

Two questions related to the Padma bridge

1) Perusing pictures of the bridge, it appears that the highway is 4 lane whereas the railroad is single track. This seems to me to be a striking inequality in what is supposed to be a rail-friendly country. Is there a means to add a second track if and when traffic justifies it? I suppose that besides the four passenger trains you name, there must be plenty of freight on this route as well.

2) What are formalities like on the Indian Bangladeshi border? Do they meticulously check and question every individual as on say, the Mexican - US border? Or is it more a waving people through plus random checks situation as was the case on many European borders pre Schengen?

 

[jis]

Two questions related to the Padma bridge

1) Perusing pictures of the bridge, it appears that the highway is 4 lane whereas the railroad is single track. This seems to me to be a striking inequality in what is supposed to be a rail-friendly country. Is there a means to add a second track if and when traffic justifies it? I suppose that besides the four passenger trains you name, there must be plenty of freight on this route as well.

No way to add track to this bridge, but a second rail only bridge is planned a little further upstream. That will be funded by JICA (Japan) after they are finished doing the double track rail only bridge next to the Bangabandhu Setu across the Jamuna. In that case too, the original bridge was mostly a road bridge with a single dual gauge track.

This is just the initial service using a somewhat circuitous route via Faridpur - Pordaha,as the through route between Bhanga and Jessore/Khulna won't be finished until late 2024. At present there is no freight on this new bridge but that will change

2) What are formalities like on the Indian Bangladeshi border? Do they meticulously check and question every individual as on say, the Mexican - US border? Or is it more a waving people through plus random checks situation as was the case on many European borders pre Schengen?

Thorough examination of everyone twice, once by India and once by Bangladesh. Both countries have both exit and entry inspection. Smuggling of all sorts of things including illicit arms is a well recognized problem. Armed Indian BSF personnel travels by the train between Kolkata Terminal and the border to ensure compliance. Bangladesh is more lax in its territory, which is understandable since the Bangladesh-wards smuggling is Bangladeshis taking consumer goods acquired in India. The smuggling in the opposite direction though much smaller in volume, when it does take place is usually of more dangerous stuff.

The train is not examined at the border. C&I is at Kolkata Terminal for the Indian one and at Dhaka Contentment for the Bangladeshi one. Brief stop at the border stations are only for change of staff and at Darshana for change of locomotive. These trains arrive and depart from special platforms that are enclosed in a high fence cage. Interestingly, the setup at Kolkata Terminal allows the same platform to be used for domestic service with the high gates at each end left open. For the international trains those gates are shut and locked after the train platforms and before the train doors are opened.

 

[jis]

The new rail link between Akhaura in Bangladesh and Agartala the capital of Tripura State in India has been completed. Currently only a Meter Gauge track has been completed, though on a dual gauge infrastructure. This is so because currently there is no way to get to Akhaura by Broad Gauge in Bangladesh pending completion of their dual gauging project on the Dhaka - Akhaura route.

https://indianexpress.com/article/n...l-run-goods-train-bangladesh-tripura-9006052/
A new International station with Land Customs Station designation has been constructed at Nischintapur in Agartala.

Eventually when Broad Gauge connectivity in Bangladesh is completed, there are plans to run sealed trains from Kolkata to Agartala through Bangladesh. This will reduce the rail disance from Kolkata to Agartala to 550km from the current 1600km, reducing the travel time to under 10 hours from the current 26 hours.

 

[jis]

Bangladesh Railways has decided to progressively electrify its entire network.

https://businesspostbd.com/national/bangladesh-railway-looks-set-to-enter-electric-age-22297
According to postings from them on Facebook they plan to standardize on the 25kV 50Hz system fed from the commercial grid. This will make them fully compatible with Indian Railways.

 

[jis]

Indian Railways has now broadly deployed these lightweight Express Parcel Vans all across the network:

These are the Indian version of Amtrak's MHCs, admittedly way more attractive. You can see them attached to Rajdhani Expresses and other LD trains. They also appear in exclusively Parcels Express trains. They can operate at full passenger/express speed and help bring in additional revenue form high priority goods and parcels.

 

[west point]

Bangladesh Railways has decided to progressively electrify its entire network.

https://businesspostbd.com/national/bangladesh-railway-looks-set-to-enter-electric-age-22297
According to postings from them on Facebook they plan to standardize on the 25kV 50Hz system fed from the commercial grid. This will make them fully compatible with Indian Railways.

How much if any is not 25kV 50 Hz? Has all India converted to that standard as well?

 

[jis]

How much if any is not 25kV 50 Hz? Has all India converted to that standard as well?

All of India's main line electrification (and a significant proportion of Metros) is 25kV 50Hz. This year India has 93% of its routes electrified, not counting Metros.

Bangladesh at present has no electrification outside of Dhaka Metro.

 

[west point]

All of India's main line electrification (and a significant proportion of Metros) is 25kV 50Hz. This year India has 93% of its routes electrified, not counting Metros.

Bangladesh at present has no electrification outside of Dhaka Metro.

Is there a schedule to finish in India?

 

[jis]

Is there a schedule to finish in India?

Currently it is 2025, but I think it might slip by a year or two to get all the obscure branch lines specially on the Northeast Frontier Railway.

 

[west point]

Currently it is 2025, but I think it might slip by a year or two to get all the obscure branch lines specially on the Northeast Frontier Railway.

For India 7% to complete will be how many track miles and route miles?

 

[cirdan]

Indian Railways has now broadly deployed these lightweight Express Parcel Vans all across the network:

These are the Indian version of Amtrak's MHCs, admittedly way more attractive. You can see them attached to Rajdhani Expresses and other LD trains. They also appear in exclusively Parcels Express trains. They can operate at full passenger/express speed and help bring in additional revenue form high priority goods and parcels.

Is this a service Indian Railways are offering themselves, or is it being provided on behalf of the post office or parcels companies?
The problem with creating a standalone parcels service from scratch lies in the need to also build up last-mile services and handling / sorting facilities from scratch.

 

[BlackDiamond]

Indian Railways has now broadly deployed these lightweight Express Parcel Vans all across the network:

These are the Indian version of Amtrak's MHCs, admittedly way more attractive. You can see them attached to Rajdhani Expresses and other LD trains. They also appear in exclusively Parcels Express trains. They can operate at full passenger/express speed and help bring in additional revenue form high priority goods and parcels.

Do these cars also handle the hotel power for the train or do they still need a generator car as well?

 

[jis]

Do these cars also handle the hotel power for the train or do they still need a generator car as well?

Like everything else in the passenger stock, I believe there is a subset that is for running in hotel powered trains like Rajdhanis, and a much larger number that are not so equipped, and come with their own axle driven power for lights. They are not air-conditioned. For operation up in Kashmir Valley in the winter a subset will have to be equipped with heaters.

 

[jis]

For India 7% to complete will be how many track miles and route miles?

Total route kms is about 65,000. A bit more than 5,000km remain to be electrified in terms of routes. They are all under various stages of getting electrified, and all funds for that have been appropriated and allocated.

Here is a recent summary: