PUNE: One of the most prestigious trains with a rich heritage value of Indian Railways, Deccan Queen, running between Pune and Mumbai for 90 years, is gearing up for a major revamp. The Central Railway (CR) has decided to upgrade the train with the German design Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) coachesand external design as well.
According to CR officials, LHB coaches have better safety features and improved travelling experience - better suspension system and better riding comfort. Secondly, there is a proposed revamp of the external livery design of the train, which will be used in the proposed LHB rake of the train.
At present, Deccan Queen has a unique existing livery colour of blue and white with a red band. There is also a proposal for a new logo of the proposed LHB upgrade of the train.
“Railway commuters have an emotional connection with Deccan Queen. The CR has sought customers’ opinion on the preferred external livery design. Based on various consultations and customers’ feedback, the CR has prepared eight livery designs, along with their ranking, as per the customer voting,” said Central Railway Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Shivaji Sutar.
“A new logo design has been proposed incorporating an image of the UNESCO-listed Mumbai-CSMT station. On the advice of the Railway Board, the Central Railway has engaged the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, to provide their professional inputs on the livery designs. CR has made all eight livery designs, the logo design and other related material available to NID,” said Sutar.
As per CPRO, recently, a team of NID visited Mumbai to inspect the train and travelled in the train (Deccan Queen) and interacted with passengers to gain a first-hand experience. They also visited the UNESCO-certified CSMT building. During their visit, the team collected data, measurements, photography, filming, and interacted with the railway officials and passengers. They are expected to submit their report this month.
This exercise is an excellent example of synergy between two ministries of Government of India Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Commerce & Industry.
Records Galore
The train, which began its service in 1930, holds records such as India’s first superfast train, first long-distance, electric-hauled train, first vestibuled train, the first to have a ladies-only car and the first to feature a dining car. The train was introduced with two rakes of seven coaches each, one of which was painted in silver with scarlet mouldings and the other with royal blue with gold lines. Presently, it runs with 17 coaches, including four AC chair cars, one buffet car, 10 second-class chair cars and two second-class-cum-brake-vans.
