Indian Railways' state-of-the-art Train 18 gets safety nod

Indian Railways' state-of-the-art Train 18 got safety clearance on Friday from the Electrical Inspector to the Government (EIG), sources said. With this, the ministry has written to the PMO seeking time from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the train's formal launch, they said.
The "regular" clearance from the EIG came a day after it had accorded a "provisional" clearance to the Rs 97-crore train

The EIG clearance also paved the way for the Chief Commissioner Railway, Safety, Saklesh Pathak to issue the safety clearance. Now, the train, after waiting in the wings for nearly a month, is ready for it's first commercial run at a speed of 160 kmph. Sources said the go-ahead comes after a decision was jointly taken by the mechanical and electrical departments, stating the issues flagged in inspections would be complied with in the trains manufactured from here on.

After the provisional clearance by EIG, the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai was contemplating taking the train back to the factory for further work. The train had earlier got the EIG clearance only for three months with nine conditions.

The 16-coach train, built in 18 months at a cost of Rs 97 crore, is regarded as a successor to the 30-year-old Shatabdi Express. It's also the first locomotive-less train in the country.