Mumbai-Goa Tejas Express gets new diesel engine, becomes faster and safer

Mumbai city news: The engine, specially facelifted for the train, can run at a speed of 160kmph, faster than the current engine. It will also make the train journey safer.

Flagged off four weeks ago, the first high-speed luxury premium train Tejas express will be run on a new powerful diesel engine from Monday.

Railway minister Suresh Prabhu flagged of the popular train between Mumbai and Karmali on May 21. (File)

The engine, specially facelifted for the train, can run at a speed of 160kmph, faster than the current engine. It will also make the train journey safer.

The Konkan railway route is not entirely electrified and as such trains are run on diesel engine.

“Our Kalyan loco shed has designed the colour scheme of the loco [engine] to match with Tejas rake,” said AK Singh, spokesperson of CR.

Railway minister Suresh Prabhu flagged of the popular train between Mumbai and Karmali on May 21.

While the train takes 12.15 hours to cover the distance during the monsoon, it takes 8.30 hours in other months.

The new engine, WDP3A, can run on both alternate and direct current transmission and has powerful 16 cylinder four-stroke super turbo charge system. The engine is capable of producing 3100bhp power and has axel load limit of about 19.5 tonnes.

Tejas express is one of the few special trains on Indian Railways to have an exclusively designed engine.

Earlier, the train had WDM3D engines, the ones with only one driving cab. Those were long-hood engines, considered unsafe for high-speed trains as they cover the signals.

“In short-hood engines [like the new WDP3A] both drivers and assistant drivers get complete view of tracks ahead, unlike long hood one,”said a loco pilot, adding they demanded the long-hood engines be replaced with short-hood ones.