The new Train 18/Vande Bharat, from the sublime to the ridiculous is only a step

 

The third rake of Train 18/Vande Bharat is finally out and reportedly tested successfully at 180 kmph, after a wait of more than three years,. Gratifying news indeed, particularly for me and the team that built the first two; this being a fully-owned technology of Integral Coach factory (ICF), not put together through any disabling Transfer of technology. The improvements done in the train are welcome. When a product is your own creation, improving it is free of any dependence on a technology-provider, and this upgrade, with an experience of running two trains for nearly four years, was expected to supervene. Some details can be read about in these two reports:

 

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/new-vande-bharat-trains-boost-travel-experience-advanced-features-indian-railways-1998603-2022-09-10

 

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/railways/with-all-trials-successful-vande-bharat-trains-manufacture-to-begin-from-october-ashwini-vaishnaw/articleshow/94103490.cms?from=mdr

 

So far so good, but the questions I raised in this blog earlier cannot be wished away:

http://anindecisiveindian.blogspot.com/2022/08/indian-railways-and-vande-bharattrain-18.html

 

Some of these questions relate to the hype being built over its comparison with Bullet trains in respect of 0 to 100 kmph acceleration, superior ride index, lower energy consumption and the speed of further manufacture at ICF, and yes, calling the first two 180/160 kmph trains, tested at 180 kmph as 160 kmph ones, and the new180/160 kmph trains, tested again at 180 kmph, as 180 kmph ones. These  are indeed issues which need a revisit.

 

The Bullet train, or a Shinkansen rail network train, is God; the first high-speed train to be built in the world 58 years ago, starting with 210 kmph and reaching 320 kmph today. Ours was a great team effort but it would be too pretentious to start a comparison. We will reach there someday, through genuine Atmanirbhar push, not through mere imports or screw-driver builds here, but for the nonce, revel in our improved creation with a view to entice ourselves to raise the bar. But we must remember that, from the sublime to the ridiculous, is only a step and that step is eminently avoidable.

 

If we are going gaga over the acceleration of the new train, will IR ensure that this train does Mumbai-Ahmedabad at more than 100 kmph average speed, cutting down the travel time to well below 5 hours? The current average speed of Vande Bharat is 96 kmph between Varanasi and Delhi; the specification was tweaked by RDSO, ostensibly to increase the acceleration and improve the ride index, never mind that this delayed the project by years. So, this question. The ride index has been tested to be better, which is very good from technical standpoint but will the passengers experience a perceptible difference in ride-comfort vis-à-vis the first two rakes, as they did when they first rode the prototype Train 18 in comparison to LHB coaches? We wait and watch.

 

A related issue is the capability of the OHE to handle higher currents which are drawn with higher acceleration and energy consumption. Back in 2019, all this was used to vilify the train and its creators with the sole aim to derail the project. One can find numerous such planted reports but this one alone can suffice:

 

https://www.financialexpress.com/infrastructure/railways/why-indian-railways-delayed-the-production-of-more-vande-bharat-express-train-sets-this-financial-year/1701428/

 

Simple Physics would tell you that Train 18 with less no. of rolling stock, only 16, as compared to say a hypothetically-equivalent 160 kmph Shatabdi with two locos and 18 coaches, including Power Cars, accommodating the same no. of passengers, would consume approx. 15 % less energy, for the same time-tabled run over a section. We, however, have this official flyer:

From the days of the malignantly-fictive narrative of its energy consumption being high to today’s official hype that it would be 30%, yes, 30%,  more energy-efficient, as you can see in this flyer, have we come a full circle? Rectification of the venal discourse of some self-serving officers is good, and it would even be good to haul them over the coals now, but was this hype towards the ludicrous necessary?

One last word. It has also been announced that regular production starting with 3 to 4 rakes per month would start from October reaching a level of 6 per month later, to complete 75 trains by August 15^th 2023. My experience says that this is not only unnecessary but also too ambitious as the pressure of numbers may cause ICF to lower the quality of the train. Even if do half this number in the next year or so, it would be a good achievement. In addition, IR seems to have finalized the plan of setting up depots for maintenance at 15 stations on the possible 28 routes of Shatabdis and other intercity trains. We need a robust plan to run these trains in large numbers all over the country with proper maintenance facilities and training of staff before we push these rakes on unprepared railway zones, running the risk of frequent cancellations and disruptions due to maintenance downtime and reduced reliability? In the beginning for 30 rakes or so, the routes should first be concentrated around 2 or 3 depots in addition to Delhi and only after the system for their running and maintenance is consolidated, should they think of introducing more routes with additional maintenance depots.

 

We all want proliferation of Vande Bharat trains. IR, however, must tread with caution, eschewing the embroidery on a well-knit product, or a stupendous project would get an avoidable bad name.

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