A new golden chapter is going to be added in the history of Indian Railways. The construction work of the country's first indigenous bullet train, codenamed B-28, is going on in full swing at BEML's state-of-the-art 'Aditya Complex' in Bengaluru. This train, being prepared under the joint guidance of the Ministry of Railways and Integral Coach Factory (ICF), will showcase the power of 'Make in India' to the world by ending India's global dependence in high-speed rail technology. While till now the main focus was on Japanese Shinkansen technology, this indigenous high-speed trainset has been developed specifically keeping in mind the Indian conditions, dust and extreme heat. Power of speed and technical capability: This first made-in-India bullet train has been designed to compete with world-class standards in terms of its speed and capacity. The maximum design and testing speed of this 8-coach trainset has been fixed at 280 kilometers per hour, while its operational speed on the tracks will be 249 to 250 kilometers per hour. This entire train, approximately 202 meters long, will have 4 motor coaches and 4 trailer coaches, which gives the train an excellent balance in speed and control. Equipped with 25 KV AC traction system, this train will operate on modern distributed traction technology. In future, to handle the heavy passenger pressure, two such 8-coach rakes can be converted into a huge 16-coach train by connecting them together. With a capacity of 557 seats and a luxurious coach layout, the seating arrangement of the train has been designed by giving priority to the comfort and space of the passengers. The entire 8-coach set will have a total seating capacity of 557 passengers. In this, 7 coaches will be of Standard (Chair Car) class, which will have 3×2 seating configuration, while 1 coach will be of Premium Executive class, in which very comfortable chairs have been installed in 2×2 layout. The seats in the Executive Class will come with the facility of 360-degree rotating and reclining, which will give the passengers a business class like experience during the journey. Each seat has individual power outlets for mobile-laptop charging and large leg-space. Aircraft-like comfort and modern safety features: The cabin of this indigenous bullet train will be completely sealed and sound-proof, due to which the cabin inside the train will remain completely quiet even at a speed of 250 km/hour. To minimize wind pressure and friction, the nose cone of the train has been given an aerodynamic design using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) technology. To control the temperature and humidity inside the train, a high-capacity centralized HVAC (air conditioning) system is installed, which is equipped with dust and pollution filters. For energy saving, a regenerative braking system has been included in it, which generates energy when braking and sends it back to the power grid. Along with this, onboard Wi-Fi based infotainment and large LCD screens providing information in Hindi, English and regional languages have been installed. Special arrangements for disabled passengers: Indian Railways has fully implemented the Accessible India Campaign in this project. The floor of the train is kept directly equal to the height of the station platform (Level Boarding), due to which wheelchairs will be able to enter easily. Automatic footsteps have been installed at the doors to eliminate the gap between the platform and the train. Separate wide doors, dedicated seats and specially designed bio-digester toilets have been created for disabled passengers. Braille script signage boards have been installed throughout the coach to assist visually impaired passengers. When will the trials and operations begin? According to BEML and Railways, the first prototype of this indigenous high-speed trainset will be launched on the track in early 2027. Its primary trial will be conducted on completed sections of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor (such as the Surat-Bilimora section). The project will not only accelerate the trials and initial operations of the country's largest bullet train corridor, but will also strengthen India's technological foundation to build 350 km/h speed trains (B-35) in the future.
