In what comes as a New Year bonanza to the passengers of north Bengal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually flagged off the country’s two Amrit Bharat trains, one of them from Malda Town in West Bengal.

The train is an addition to the series of premium trains that the state has received in the past one year. With the introduction of the premium train, passengers would be able to enjoy better comforts and amenities at fares little higher than the normal existing non airconditioned trains. The 22-coach rake of the Amrit Bharat train has a seating capacity of 1,834 passengers.

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Enabled to run at a speed of around 130kmph, the train consists of 22 non-AC coaches having the configuration of two second class luggage rakes, eight general seating coaches and 12 sleeper class coaches. Apart from amenities like improved and aesthetically pleasing lighting, CCTV in luggage room with monitor in guard room, aesthetically and ergonomically designed lavatory with enhanced colour blending, the superfast express train has other special features for making the journey more comfortable.

According to the railways, the train is equipped with push-pull configuration for efficient acceleration. Because of continuous coupling, the train does not need shunting or the need of switching the locomotives at stations thereby reducing the travel time. The other special feature is the installation of semi-permanent couplers that enable a jerk free journey.

According to the chief public relations officer of the South Eastern Railway, Aditya Kumar Chaudhary, the fare for a journey up-to 500 kilometres in the second seating class of the train is around Rs 184 and Rs 312 for sleeper class. “For travelling a distance of 1000km, the fare is Rs 314 for second seating and Rs 528 for sleeper class,” informed Mr Chaudhary.

There are no AC coaches in the rake for now, the railways is considering plans of introducing air-conditioned coaches in the coming few months. “Initially, AC coaches would be run and tested on special circuits and later the facility would be extended in the Amrit Bharat Express like other trains,” Mr Chaudhary elucidated.