Passengers of Howrah-Barbil Jan Shatabdi Express will get to travel on the new state-of-the-art German-designed LHB (Linke Hofmann Busch) coaches, currently in use in premium trains like Rajdhani and Duronto.
South Eastern Railway (SER) has decided to run the 12021/12022 Howrah-Barbil Jan Shatabdi Express, which travels via Tatanagar, with the sophisticated LHB coaches from Friday. Currently, the train has conventional coaches.
Officials at the SER headquarters in Calcutta said the new rake comprising 18-LHB coaches manufactured at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Perambur, Chennai, has arrived.
“With the introduction of LHB rake, the train will have a revised composition of four AC chair cars and 14 second seating (reserved) coaches. As a result of conversion to LHB, there will be an increase of total 120 seating accommodations in each way (20 in AC chair car and 100 in second seating),” said Sanjay Ghosh, chief public relations officer, SER.
Last year, the Railway Board had communicated its decision for replacing the train’s conventional coaches with the swanky ones which are safer and more comfortable.
Made of stainless steel on the outside and aluminium on the inside, the LHB coaches are lighter than conventional ones, and each one has an advanced braking system for increased safety at higher speeds.
The new coaches are “anti-telescopic”, which means that they do not flip even if the train derails or has a collision. The new coaches have an improved suspension system that ensure better riding comfort. The air-conditioning is of higher capacity compared to the older coaches and is controlled by a microprocessor for optimum temperature control.
“There will be no changes in the fare structure once the new rake is introduced,” said an official of the commercial department of SER.
Passengers were happy.
“Thanks to the railways for replacing the old coaches with the refurbished ones in Jan Shatabdi Express,” said Manoj Ghosal, a businessman who lives in Telco, Jamshedpur. “We prefer the train for travelling to Calcutta and back. Next time we look forward to a more comfortable journey.”
