Private Trains Must Have Sliding Doors, Will Pay Railways if Trains Are Delayed or Early: Read Draft

New Delhi: The Railways has specified a few demands from the private players once they run their trains on the Railways network. As many as 23 firms including Bombardier, Alstom, Siemens and GMR have shown interest in running private trains in the country and attended a pre-application meeting Wednesday as a first step, the Railways said. Also Read – All Regular Passenger And Suburban Train Services to Stay Suspended, Says Centre

Here are the features of the private trains specified by the Railways Also Read – Railways to Save 10-15% Per Annum by Procuring Via GeM, Says Piyush Goyal

1. Electronic sliding doors, windows with double-glazed safety glass, Braille signages, emergency talk-back mechanism, passenger surveillance system, and information and destination boards. Also Read – IRCTC Latest News: India’s First Kisan Special Train to Start Operation From Friday | All You Need to Know  

2. The trains would provide noise-free travel to passengers and be capable of running at a speed of 160 km/hr.

3. These trains will be fitted with an emergency brake which can bring them to a standstill in less than 1,250 m when travelling at 160 kmph.

4. The trains should be designed for a life of 35 years.

5. Each coach shall have minimum of four electrically/pneumatically powered, plug type doors, two on each side.

6. The door mechanism shall have a safety provision whereby the train shall not start unless all doors have been closed and electrically locked. Provision shall be made for passengers to open doors to permit evacuation from a stopped train in an emergency.

7. There shall be an internal and external manual release mechanism on one door per side in each coach. All windows shall be provided with double-glazed safety glass.

8. Passenger emergency signs shall also be embossed in Braille raised typeface.

9. The trains shall be designed to keep the noise emissions as low as possible and designed to prevent drumming, rattles or vibrations throughout its life.

10. The trains shall provide a public address (PA) facility so that the loco pilot or guard can make announcements to passengers from driving /non-driving cab.

11. Emergency buttons and talk-back phones shall be located near all the doors and gangways. Provision shall be there for voice recording of the conversations with GPS stamping.

12. A passenger information system (PIS) shall provide automatic announcement and the display of destination information on displays throughout the train in Hindi, English and regional languages.

13. Each car shall be provided with two digital destination boards on the outside (one on each side) displaying the originating, destination station, vehicle number, train number, the draft says.

14. The passenger coach surveillance system (PRSS) shall comprise an IP-based close circuit television (CCTV) network, surveillance cameras and other accessories as required with onboard equipment for streaming of video to the central server for selected cameras.

15. Each sitting car of train shall be provided with a minimum of six surveillance cameras to cover the passenger area. For a sleeper train, each car shall be provided with two surveillance cameras at an appropriate location to cover the entire corridor.

The private players will have to abide by at least 95 per cent punctuality. If trains are late or even early, they will have to pay compensation to the Railways. The deadline for taking part in the bidding process is September 8.