SME Times News Bureau | 24 Mar, 2018
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
has successfully conceived, developed and tested two air-conditioned
narrow gauge coaches for running in the UNESCO World Heritage railway
soon, a railway official said on Saturday.
"These air-conditioned
coaches will make travelling in the hill railway more comfortable for
travellers from the plains of New Jalpaiguri to the hill station of
Darjeeling in all seasons," a Northeast Frontier Railway spokesperson
said.
The commercial service of the AC coaches is expected to start from April 1.
The two air-conditioned coaches were developed by refurbishing two first-class coaches at a cost of about Rs 43 lakh.
The air-conditioning unit in the coaches are roof-mounted and a small silent power-pack provides power to the units.
Each
coach has a sitting capacity of 15 people and the interiors have been
done using teak panels, large toughened laminated safety-glass windows
for passengers to enjoy the scenic beauty and a music
system-cum-announcement system for entertainment.
Similarly furnished non-AC coach for use in the Joy Ride services between Darjeeling and Ghum are also being developed.
The
new AC coaches have been painted with shining metallic colours on the
exterior and florescent stickers have been used for text. A hatch on the
roof with a fan has also been provided for fresh air and ventilation
when the air-conditioner is not put into operation.
The hatch fan
would be operated by battery which would be recharged by the power
pack. The fuel consumption by the power pack would be around three
litres per hour.
If the new AC coaches evoke positive response,
four more such coaches are proposed to be developed in 2018-19, the
spokesperson added.
