BENGALURU: The nearly 1,700 passengers on board the Lalbagh Express were in for a pleasant surprise when they boarded the train to Chennai, which chugged off at 6.15 am on Thursday. Once called the “Poor Man’s Shatabdi” owing to its quick connectivity with Chennai, it actually donned the Shatabdi look with the induction of safe and stylish next-generation coaches.
For the first time since July 2, 1982, when this train (12608) had its maiden run, all its 15 coaches are of the Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) make. A senior railway official said though Shatabdi trains and three other trains within Karnataka have been equipped with LHB coaches, it is the first time a day train connecting cities in different states have been given this makeover. “The two AC Chair coaches, 11 regular coaches and 2 general coaches have all been converted to LHB. We are planning to have LHB coaches for all the trains in our division gradually,” he said.
Among those seated inside was C S Ramanujan, a software architect. “I have travelled often on this train and the seats felt very comfortable today with good cushioning. The coaches looked very fresh too. I hope they are able to maintain it like this,” he said.
It got a pat from many passengers that TNIE spoke to. They billed it as ‘good’ and ‘attractive’ and with ‘nice interiors’. However, there were a few who had issues with the new coaches. A B Jagannathan, a building contractor, heading to Chennai for a wedding, said, “It may look nice … but I prefer the earlier coaches. I think it was more spacious.”
Explaining the advantages, a senior railway official said LHB coaches are safer than the regular Integral Coach Factory coaches during accidents. “The LHB coaches do not ram into the adjacent coach during an accident due to the special buffer system called Centre Buffer Coupling which provides a cushioning effect,” he said. Unlike the regular coaches, these coaches can travel up to 200 kmph and it permits additional seating capacity as each coach is 1.7 m longer than the regular coach.
Tags: Lalbagh Express
