Indian bullet train to be modified to suit climatic conditions

 New Delhi: The Indian version of the High-Speed Rail or the Bullet train will be slightly modified to suit the country's climatic conditions with a stronger air conditioning system, as well as, different filtering system keeping in view of the high temperatures and dusty conditions in the country, as compared to the one operating in Japan, officials said on Sunday.

India is currently constructing the 508-km Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed rail corridor.

The National High Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRCL), which is executing the project linking the capitals of Maharashtra and Gujarat, believes the trains will have to be customised to suit the Indian conditions so that they run without any hassle.

Speaking to IANS, National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) spokesperson Sushma Gaur said: "The trains that run in Japan are built to handle outside temperature of up to 40 degrees Celsius. But here in India, and especially the section it will run in Maharashtra, the outside temperature can cross even 50 degrees. So, we will need some modifications for that." She further said that special provisions are also being made to combat dust.

"Keeping in view the environmental conditions in India, the air conditioners, blowers, and other important equipment fitted in the high speed trains will have different dust filters."

The spokesperson added that the dust filters installed will work like a barrier and stop the dust entering inside the trains.

"This will be helpful in maintaining ambient air quality inside the trains. They will also safeguard the equipment from harmful dust mites and other pollutants," Gaur said. The NHSRCL has planned to procure E5 series of Shinkansen Bullet train rakes from Japan.

According to NHSRCL officials, India will procure 24 rakes of the E5 series.

They said that initially one train set will have 10 cars with seating capacity of 730 passengers.

However, in future 16 cars train set will be used depending on the traffic on the corridor and the train will have max operational speed of 320 km/h.

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed rail corridor will have three types of seating arrangements in the train -- first, business and standard.

The officials further said that there will be overhead luggage space in all the cars and the train will be aerodynamically designed.