Indian Railways is all set to roll out its much awaited indigenously built semi-high speed train for inter-city travel Codenamed Train 18 on October 29, 2018.  Engineless trains till now ran in big cities as part of the Metro network, but Train-18 will be the first semi-high speed train to offer a comfortable inter-city ride. The swanky 16-coach prototype will travel at 160 kmph and is expected to cut travel time by 15 per cent compared to the Shatabdi Express trains, which it will eventually replace. The "Make in India" train has been manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai at the cost of Rs. 100 crore.

Interesting facts about Train 18

• The fully air-conditioned train with a stainless steel car body propels on electric traction like the metro trains.
• It's fitted with CCTV cameras and there will also be a GPS-based passenger information system.
• Five more units of the train would be produced by the ICF by the end of 2019-20 production year.
• The swanky 16-coach train will cut journey time by 15 per cent compared to the 30-year old Shatabdi.
• Train-18 has two driving trailer coaches with aerodynamic driver's cab (nose cone) on both the ends which will enable quicker turn-around time at destinations. 
• The executive class will have rotating seats to match the direction of the train.
• With Train 18 already set to go for trials, the railways will now turn its focus on another project - Train 20 - the next generation aluminium-bodied sleeper class trains that will replace the Rajdhani Express trains on the network and is expected to be rolled out by 2020.
• Like Metro coaches, the doors of Train 18 will open only after the train stops.
• It is capable of running at speeds of up to 160 kmph.

Source: ndtv.com, zeenews.india.com, livemint.com