Come 2018, Indian Railways is all set to roll out Uday Express, its new, ambitious long-distance double-decker train. It has been assigned to run on three routes: Coimbatore- Bengaluru; Bandra-Jamnagar and Visakhapatnam-Vijayawada. Uday Express, also known as Utkrisht Double-Decker Air- conditioned Yatri Express, was announced in the Railway Budget of 2016-2017 and is aimed at catering to business travellers.
Railways has already conducted two route trials between Coimbatore-Bengaluru, one at a speed of 80 kmph and another at 100 kmph covering a distance of about 235 km. These trials were conducted to check if the route was viable for a double-decker by using an existing 10-coach double-decker rake.
These trains are an improved variant of the normal AC double-decker chair car coaches with vinyl wrapping on exterior coaches, LCD type passenger information system on each deck, dining space on middle deck area with provision of automatic food vending machine and large LCD screen for infotainment on every third coach. It will be equipped with two bathrooms with bio-toilets.
Sources say that these trains would have 40% more passenger capacity and would run on the busiest routes of India.
