Debi Prasad Dash, 55, is one of the brains behind Train 18, India’s semi-high speed train and one being sought by other countries for its cost-effectiveness. A 1987-batch officer of the Indian Railway Service of Electrical Engineers (IRSEE), Dash, a native of Ektala village near Kuakhia in Jajpur district, is the chief design engineer (electrical) at Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai. He spoke to Hemanta Pradhan about the journey behind India’s fastest train.n Train 18 has created a buzz in the country for its design and facilities. How did your team come up with the idea of building such a train?Indian Railways had organised a Rail Vikas Shibir in 2016 at Surajkund in Haryana to discuss different ideas to strengthen the railways. We had presented our idea before the senior officers of the railways. It got selected. We started working on specifications, designs, facilities and technical parts to give a final shape of the train on a par with the best trains from abroad. Our former head of ICF, Sudhansu Moni was the guiding force behind the train. We, the four department heads, were working under his supervision.n Why is this calledTrain 18?As there was a deadline to make it ready by 2018, we gave its name Train 18. We got the go ahead from the railway ministry in March 2017. Work started in April 2017. We had set a target to complete it within 18 months. So the name became Train 18.n What are its specialfeatures?This train is designed to run at a speed of 160 km per hour. Now speed of important trains in the country is 130 kmph. First, let me talk about the train’s functional features. Normal train has two diesel powered cars and an engine, besides the coaches. But in Train 18, there are no diesel cars or engine at the starting end of the train. We have fitted the components of the engine under eight coaches, so that passenger space does not get reduced. There is an interconnecting door between passenger coaches and drivers’ cabin, like in aeroplanes. The driver can enter the passenger area if he wants.The train can pick up a speed at 0.7 metre per second while starting against 0.3 metre of other trains. Within three minutes, the new train will be able to touch 160 km per hour. The break system is powerful. Due to this feature, the halt and start timing of the train will get reduced.The train will only run after the doors are closed. Passengers cannot open the door if the train is running. It will check mishaps like falling from a running train. There is a sliding footstep in the train to connect with the platform, so that passengers can safely get down from the train without fear of slipping into the gap between train and platform.Inside the coaches there are LED screens to show passengers information regarding train speed and approaching stations. It has got wi-fi facility for onboard internet. We have also fitted laptop or mobile charges below each seat. Indirect lighting system in the coaches along with direct lighting like in aeroplanes has also been installed in the trains.There is a sealed gangway between coaches so that people cannot feel the transition between the two coaches. The exterior look is totally different from other trains in the country.n : How was your schedule during this 18-month period?We had not taken any leave in the last 18 months only to give the train a beautiful shape. When you are working on a new project, you have a challenge to prove your work within a short period of time. We were going to the factory at around 8 am and returning at 9 pm. We completed it in November last year. Now we are relaxed. We will bring some new features to this train in future.n When is this trainexpected to run?We have completed trial run of the train recently. The commission of railway Ssafety (CRS) will give its clearance report. After the railway board gives its approval, the train will start rolling on the tracks.n Tell us about yourgrowing up days...I grew up in Ektala village, near Kuakhia in Jajpur district. But I completed my schooling and Plus II in Mayurbhanj as my father, a teacher, was working in the district. After completing my BTech from National Institute of Technology (Jamshedpur), I joined the Indian Railway Service of Electrical Engineers in 1987 and worked in various capacities in different zonal railways. I have been working with Integral Coach Factory, Chennai, for the past 12 years.n What you love most besides building trains?I love doing yoga in the morning and teaching at times. I am the chairman of the committee that runs five schools in ICF.

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