Journalism of Courage
The Train 18 will run from Delhi to Varanasi, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal confirmed on Wednesday, saying the run-time would be eight hours, about "one-and-a-half-times" faster than the fastest train on the route. (Express Photo: Prem Nath Pandey)
"We have successfully tested the train and the suggestions are being incorporated. Very soon the train will be dedicated to the nation and we have requested that Prime Minister Narendra Modi flag it off. This train will run between Delhi and Varanasi in eight hours and the fastest train between the two cities takes 11.30 hours," Goyal said. (Express Photo: Prem Nath Pandey)
"This train has amenities of international standards, is Wi-Fi enabled, CCTV cameras and it has no locomotive or engine. It is a trainset. It will cover the 750-km route at a maximum speed of 160kmph," said Goyal, who inspected the rake at the New Delhi railway station. (Express Photo: Prem Nath Pandey)
While Goyal refused to give a date for the train's first run, he said it would "begin service soon," Goyal said. (Photo: PTI)
Its first commercial run would begin next week just ahead of the Kumbh Mela, which starts in Allahabad on January 14, sources told PTI. (Express Photo: Prem Nath Pandey)
While the railways had been saying that it had proposed two routes for the train, Delhi to Bhopal and Delhi to Varanasi, this is the first time that the route has been officially confirmed. (Express Photo: Prem Nath Pandey)
