This includes everything from bio-vacuum toilets and to integrated braille displays, to LED TVs for each passenger, celebrity chef menus, WiFi, vending machines, and even automatic doors and secured gangways for all coaches, a first for the Indian Railways. Operating at speeds of around 130 kmph according to the Rail Budget 2016-17, the Tejas Express aims to showcase the future of train travel in India. All of this is good and fine, of course, if a tad ambitious.
Now the other side of the coin. There are around 35-40 direct trains from Mumbai to Goa. The fastest is the Jan Shatabdi Express which takes about 6-8 hours to travel from Mumbai to Goa and costs upwards of a few hundred rupees. In contrast, air travel, which takes an hour, varies from a couple of thousands to several thousand depending on the time of the year. Where will the latest luxury passenger train figure in this scheme of things? Secondly, as per reports, the new Tejas Express comprises of 20-coaches. If that is the case, how long would an average passenger have to wait before he/she is able to book and/or travel on one of its much-awaited ergonomically-designed seats?
