Chennai:
The country's second Duronto Express (DE), a non-stop point service between Chennai Central and Delhi, covering 2,177 kms, was launched in Chennai on Tuesday by the Southern Railway.
To cover the entire distance the train will take less time than the famed Rajdhani Express - 27 hours and 55 minutes compared to 28 hours and 10 minutes.
The coaches in DE are fit for a speed of 130 km/h against 110 km/h for conventional mail and express trains. "As and when the Chennai-New Delhi track gets upgraded,the speed of DE will also be increased, further saving the journey time by about two hours",
Southern Railway General Manager M S Jayanth said during the flagging off ceremony of the 'Chennai Central-Hazrat Nizamuddin' DE at the Central Railway station.
Dwelling on its unique features, not available now in conventional trains, he said the body shells of coaches are made of stainless steel, resulting in a tare weight reduction of two tonnes, enabling higher speeds up to 130 km/h.
This also reduces corrosion repairs and maintenance costs. "The exterior of the coach has been provided with high quality vinyl wrap with an artistic design, which has been designed by the Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee herself", he added.