Mumbai: Known for its impeccable record of right time start and arrival, the Deccan Queen on Wednesday departed in its new avatar with New LHB coaches, LHB Vistadome coach and LHB Dining Car.
Linke Hofmann Busch or LHB coaches are way ahead in terms of technical aspect as compared to their counterparts known as Integral Coach Factory (ICF) coaches.
Fitted with the new coaches worth Rs 58 crore, the Queen left for its destination amidst clapping of passengers, who prefer the deluxe train when travelling between Mumbai and Pune. The train was booked to its full capacity of 1,220 seats on Wednesday.
Started on June 1, 1930, the Queen over the last 92 years has grown from a mere medium of transportation between two cities into an institution binding generations of intensely loyal passengers.
The color scheme of the new rake, green and red combination with yellow strip, has been designed to reflect the train’s heritage value and modernity.
Explaining the difference between ICF and LHB coaches, a senior CR official said, “LHB coaches are lighter in weight, have higher carrying capacity, higher speed potential of operating at 160 kmph, increased codal life and better safety features as compared to ICF coaches.”
Initially, the train was introduced with 2 rakes of 7 coaches; each one of which was painted in silver with scarlet mouldings and the other with royal blue with gold lines. The under frames of the coaches of the original rakes were built in England while the coach bodies were built in the Matunga workshop of the Great Indian Peninsula Railway.
