By Venkatachari Jagannathan
Chennai, Dec 12 (IANS): India's own semi-high speed train Vande Bharat or Train 18 is highly energy efficient and also weighs less contrary to some reports, said sources in the Indian Railways.
"As per simulations made at Integral Coach Factory (ICF) where Vande Bharat or Train 18 was made, the specific energy consumption (SEC) of gross ton km was 15.4 kWh lesser than other Indian speedy trains," a source not wanting to be identified told IANS.
As per the simulations done at the ICF, the specific energy consumption of Shatabdi Express was 17.2 kWh per gross ton km, the source added.
According to the source, deriding Train 18 on weight and energy are irrelevant.
Meanwhile Shubhranshu, Chief Administrative Officer at Rail Wheel Plant in Bihar in a letter to V. K. Yadav, Chairman, Railway Board on September 28, 2019 said that the Vande Bharat or Train 18 that runs of broad gauge has an axle load of less than 17 ton.
"Even a cursory search on the Internet will tell us that Shinkasen (300 kmph), Frecciarossa (300 kmph), and Chinese High Speed (300 kmph) all have axle load of 17 ton. They are made of aluminium and standard gauge vehicles. How do we propose to achieve a 20 per cent weight reduction on BG (broad gauge) and who will offer us such a train," the letter notes.
"In case imports are considered unavoidable, I would request you to examine, the timeline that a foreign player promises vis-A-vis what the ICF had given and also to ensure that the price benchmark set by Train-18 is kept in mind while evaluating such offers. A level playing field is required to be given to our own unit as well," the letter added.
The Train-18 was built at a cost of about Rs 100 crore.