Rajdhanis as ‘push-pull’ locos may reduce travel time by up to 90 min: Officials

The railways has readied 12 Rajdhani train rakes as push-pull locomotives to reduce their travel on major routes such as Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Kolkata by 60-90 minutes, officials aware of the matter said. It also plans to move all Rajdhani trains to the push-pull mode of transportation.

The push-pull mode of operating locomotive-hauled trains allows trains to be driven from both ends with locomotives attached to the front as well as the rear.

“Indian Railway has further carried out trials on Rajdhani Express trains on Delhi–Mumbai and Delhi-Kolkata routes. It is possible to reduce the journey time by 60 to 90 minutes on these routes with [the] operation of Rajdhani Trains in push-pull mode,” a railway ministry spokesperson said.

“Advantages of running trains in [the] push-pull mode include enhanced safety of train operation, reduced journey time, comfortable ride [jerk free] and cost-effectiveness. The push-pull composition is also [a] future-ready solution for up to 160 kmph speed potential, as trains can be run with existing rolling stock [electric locomotives and LHB coaches]. Besides it can also do away with the noisy and polluting power cars, thereby saving on precious diesel.”

The railways first in 2016 began running trials of passenger trains with the push-pull locomotives between Jaipur and Jodhpur.

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In the push-pull concept, the locomotives are connected on both ends of a rake and operated in such a way that the tractive and electrical braking efforts are always synchronised.

“We have developed 12 rakes of Rajdhani on [the] push-pull system that save 60-90 minutes on the journey on a daily basis. We plan to move all Rajdhani trains to [the] push-pull system in a phased manner. In the future, we also plan to convert our Shatabadi trains to the same mode,” an official said, requesting anonymity.

The Rajdhani Express trains between Mumbai and Delhi run on the push-pull mode. The frequency of the trains has been increased from twice a week to daily.

Simulation for running double head push-pull trains have also been carried out on major routes including Mumbai-Delhi, Howrah-Delhi, and Mumbai-Pune. according to the Research Designs & Standards Organisation.