Train 18, India's fastest on tracks, pelted with stones during trial run

A probe has been launched after a suspected vandal hurled stones at the train during its trial run between Delhi and Agra.

New Delhi: The Railways' fastest train - Train 18, which is scheduled to be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 29, was pelted with stones on Thursday during a trial run between Delhi and Agra, a senior official said.

"Train 18 running at 180 km/h between Delhi and Agra at this time... Srinivas, the Chief Design Engineer of ICF is in the cab, they touched 181 kmh for record sake... Some vandal threw a stone breaking a glass, hope we nab him," tweeted Sudhanshu Manu, General Manager of the Integral Coach Factory that manufactured these state-of-the-art rakes. 

The incident is being investigated, officials said.

The country's first engineless train will replace Shatabdi trains and will run between Delhi and Varanasi.

Train 18, manufactured by ICF Chennai at a cost of Rs 100 crore, recently became India's fastest train by hitting speeds of over 180 kmph during a trial run on a section of the Delhi-Rajdhani route.

The gleaming blue-nosed train comes fitted with amenities at par with the best in the world -- from on-board WiFi to a GPS-based passenger information system, touch-free bio-vacuum toilets, LED lighting, mobile charging points and a climate control system that adjusts the temperature according to occupancy and weather.

The train will have two executive compartments which will have 52 seats each and trailer coaches will have 78 seats each. The executive class will have rotating seats to match the direction of the train.

According to the tentative plan, the train will start from New Delhi station at 6 am and is expected to reach Varanasi at 2 pm. For the return journey, the train will start at 2.30 pm from Varanasi and reach the national capital at 10.30 pm on the same day.

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, impressed with the success of Train 18 during trials, has recently asked ICF to build four more similar rakes in the current financial year.