New UDAY Express train to be rolled out soon! Aiming to provide better travel comfort to business travellers, Indian Railways is all set to roll out a new UDAY Express or the Utkrisht Double-Decker Air-conditioned Yatri Express train in February. The new all air-conditioned double-decker chair car train is being manufactured by Rail Coach Factory (RCF) Kapurthala. “The work on shells of the double-decker train is underway, some coaches are already being painted and the furnishing work will start soon,” an RCF official told Financial Express Online. “We are hoping to get the new UDAY Express train ready by February,” the official added.
Piyush Goyal-led Indian Railways introduced its first UDAY Express train last year between Coimbatore and Bengaluru. The key difference between the new UDAY Express train and the 2018 version is that the latter was introduced after refurbishing an existing double-decker rake. The new UDAY Express train is being manufactured from scratch at RCF, instead of upgrading an old rake. The ‘luxury’ UDAY Express train will offer a comfortable option to business travellers, feels Indian Railways. This double-decker train service was first announced in Railway Budget 2016.
According to the RCF official quoted above, every third coach of the double-decker UDAY Express will have a dining area which will also boast of a food/snacks and coffee vending machine. While coaches of UDAY Express will be able seat up to 120 passengers, those with the dining area will have a capacity of 104 passengers. The new UDAY Express train will have an orange and yellow exterior, similar to that of the Tejas Express.
Salient features of the new UDAY Express:
*Anti-graffiti vinyl-wrapped exterior
*Shatabdi-style comfortable seats
*Automatic sliding doors connecting coaches
*Food and coffee vending machines in dedicated dining areas
*Modular bio-toilets
*Vinyl wrapping on the interior paneling
*LCD screens for passenger information
*Onboard WiFi and infotainment facility
New UDAY Express routes:
Apart from the Coimbatore-Bengaluru service, Indian Railways has already announced two other routes for the UDAY Express. These are; Bandra (T)-Jamnagar-Bandra (T) and Visakhapatnam-Vijayawada-Visakhapatnam. However, the final decision on the route of the new UDAY Express will be taken by the Railway Board.