Chennai-Bengaluru Double Decker Express To Cut Travel Time, Boost Passenger Capacity

In an era where convenience and speed define travel, the Chennai-Bengaluru Double Decker Express has been revamped to redefine the journey between these bustling cities. With a new avatar announced on February 16, 2024, this express train now features eight AC double-decker coaches, five non-AC coaches, and one general class coach. This transformation focuses not only on enhanced comfort but also on reduced travel time, now at five hours and 10 minutes, a significant improvement over its superfast counterparts. The Coimbatore-Bengaluru UDAY express mirrors this evolution, following a strategic rake interchange and maintenance relocation.

The much-awaited AC Double Decker daily express train to Bangalore will begin operations on Thursday, fulfilling a proposal announced in the 2012-13 Railway Budget. Advance reservations for the Chennai-Bangalore and Bangalore-Chennai services will commence on Tuesday.

Despite weeks of delay, the formal launch date for the service was pending, even after the Railway Ministry's Research Design and Standards Organisation gave clearance in March following two sets of trials, with a speed cap of 110 kph.

With each two-tiered chair car coach accommodating 120 seats, much more than other trains on this route like the Shatabdi (78) or the Brindavan Express (72), the Double Decker can accommodate many more passengers. This larger capacity can be a boon for passengers on the heavily congested Chennai-Bangalore route.

The Double Decker trains, with their trademark red-and-yellow stainless steel LHB chassis, boast several technological features. Coaches were built by the Rail Coach Factory Kapurthala on an anti-climbing template to prevent a pile-up of coaches in case of a mishap. Other features include a GPS-based Passenger Information System, quickly operable emergency windows, an air suspension system, multiple shock absorbers for a smooth ride, and fire extinguishers in all coaches.

The primary maintenance of the Double Decker train, which has coaches with a height of 4,366 mm and a width of 3,050 mm, as against the conventional specs of 4,025 mm and 3,240 mm, will be carried out at the Basin Bridge train care depot.