India's First Push Pull WAP-5 Locomotive Vande Sadharan Express Train of Indian Railways in Mumbai : WAP-5 Push Pull Vande Sadharan Express Train Kasara - Igatpuri Thal Ghat Trials
The brand-new Vande Sadharan Push-Pull train reached Mumbai's Wadi Bunder yard on Sunday, October 29. The 22-coach LHB non-AC 3-tier sleeper train is poised to provide affordable fares to passengers, the sources added. The train has capacity to carry 1,800 passengers. Pulled by two WAP5 locomotives, each equipped with streamlined noses, it can operate at speeds reaching 130 kmph, they added.
The Vande Sadharan Express is an upcoming SuperFast Express service operated by Indian Railways. It is a Non-AC Sleeper cum Unreserved Class service that is designed to cost low and serve longer distances compared to the air-conditioned Vande Bharat Express service. These are planned to be day-night express train services which will connect Indian cities which are at distances of more than 800 km (500 mi) or take more than ten hours to travel with existing services. The trainset can support semi-high speeds but due to the railway track speed capacity, multiple stoppages, and traffic congestion, the operating speed of the services are limited in the range of 110–130 km/h (68–81 mph).
The trainset consists of 2 Locomotives manufactured by Chittaranjan Locomotive Works, one of the largest locomotive manufacturing units in India, and the 22 coaches are manufactured by Integral Coach Factory (ICF), one of the five rake production units of Indian Railways. The 22 coach trainset will be capable of handling approximately 1,800 passengers throughout the its journey.
The first service is proposed to be launched at the end of October 2023.
Indian railways had announced plans to make a non-AC Vande Sadharan Express with sleeper and general coaches for long-distance travel and replace Antyodaya Express, Jan Sadharan Express and Hybrid ICF-LHB coached trains. The Vande Sadharan train will have 22 LHB coaches and two WAP-5 Locomotives at the front and rear ends (push-pull configuration) to ensure efficient acceleration and to eliminate the need of switching the locomotive at the terminal stations, thereby reducing the travel time. The trains are manufactured by ICF, Chennai at the cost of ₹65 crore (US$8.1 million).
This express train consists of 22 coaches, of which 12 coaches are Non-AC Sleeper Class (SL), 8 General Unreserved Class (GS/UR) and 2 Luggage Coaches (EOGs). These coaches have a sealed gangway to provide safe transition between coaches and to reduce noise and vibrations. They are also equipped with CCTV Cameras, bio-vacuum toilets, and sensor-based water taps. A passenger information system, along with electric outlets, LED lights, fans and switches have a modern design. A mobile charging point for every seat is also provided.
The maximum permissible speed of the train is 130 km/h (81 mph) and the Vande Sadharan Express will perform the trial run for achieving the maximum permissible speed (MPS). But most of the Indian railway tracks are not capable of supporting this speed and so these trains will run at lower maximum permissible speed (MPS).
These are the proposed Vande Sadharan Express train services As of October 2023 :
Mumbai Central - Patna Vande Sadharan Express
Mumbai Central - New Delhi Vande Sadharan Express
Thal Ghat (also called as Thul Ghat or Kasara Ghat) is a ghat section (mountain incline or slope) in the Western Ghats near the town of Kasara in Maharashtra. The Thal Ghat is located on the busy Mumbai–Nashik route, and is one of the four major routes, rail and road routes, leading into Mumbai. The railway line, which passes through the ghat is the steepest in India with a gradient of 1 in 37.
The Thul Ghat rail section was officially opened on 1 January 1865 to Igatpuri , precisely 4 years after the line had been extended to Kasara on 1 January 1861. The Thul Ghat (incline) is a series of mountain slopes in the Western Ghats traversed by the Bhusawal-Kalyan line. From Kalyan to Kasara, the line covers a length of 42 mi (68 km) and rises to an altitude of 948 ft (289 m) above sea level at Kasara. The next section from Kasara to Igatpuri is 9.5 mi (15 km) across Thul Ghat and within that distance the line rises from 948 ft (289 m) to 1,918 ft (585 m) the gradient in the section being 1:37. The line negotiates this steep incline with the help of curves. The Ehegaon viaduct along this line is 719 ft (219 m) long and 180 ft (55 m) high.
Till early-2007 Direct Current (DC) traction was used to pull trains in this sector. On 2007-05-25, the first Alternating Current (AC) 4,800 tonne goods train was hauled through this region. The AC traction has a voltage of 25,000 volts as compared to 1,500 volts of DC. When it was under Direct Current 58 wagon trains used to be detached into two separate units, and lugged separately. Now six AC locomotives pull the entire train. Winding around the railway line is National Highway 3.
