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If you have traveled in Indian Railways trains in recent years, you might have noticed that the traditional blue colored coaches (ICF Coaches) are fast disappearing and being replaced by bright red colored coaches (LHB Coaches). At first glance it may seem to be just a color change or a change of look, but in reality it is a major technological revolution step of Indian Railways. The main objective of this change is to increase the speed of trains, make the journey of passengers comfortable and minimize the loss of life and property during accidents.
ICF vs LHB: 1950’s old steel technology vs modern German engineering
The biggest difference between the blue and red coaches of the train is their construction technology:
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Blue Coach (ICF): These were manufactured on ‘Integral Coach Factory’ technology, which was based on the old heavy steel designs of the 1950s. Due to being heavy, their maintenance was high and their speed capacity was limited.
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Red Coach (LHB): These have been designed with ‘Linke Hofmann Busch’ i.e. German technology. These coaches are made of lightweight but extremely strong stainless steel and aluminium, which are rust-proof and long lasting.
Anti-climbing technology: Coaches do not climb on each other in accidents
In terms of passenger safety, red LHB coaches are many times ahead of the old blue coaches.
In the old blue coaches, in the event of an accident or derailment, the coaches used to climb over each other (telescoping), due to which most of the lives and property were lost. In contrast, the red LHB coach featured state-of-the-art ‘Center Buffer Coupler’ (CBC) And Inter-Locking Safety System Is installed. Due to this technology, even if the coaches collide with each other during an accident, they do not run over each other nor overturn easily, thereby saving the lives of the passengers.
160 km/h speed and disc brake system
The performance of the red coaches is also excellent in terms of speed and braking:
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Speed Capacity: The safe speed limit of the old blue coaches was limited to about 110 to 120 km/hour. At the same time, red LHB coaches can run very safely even at high-speeds of 160 to 180 km/h.
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Brake System: ICF coaches had conventional thread brakes, while LHB coaches had advanced High-Efficiency Disc Brakes (Advanced Disc Brakes) These are installed, which in case of emergency, stop the train safely in very short distance and time.
Free from shocks: comfortable and quiet travel experience
In LHB coaches to reduce the fatigue of passengers in long distance journeys. Modern Hydraulic Suspension (Hydraulic Shock Absorbers) And ‘shock absorber’ has been used. This suspension system absorbs the vibrations and shocks received from the track. Moreover, the noise level inside LHB coaches is much lower than that of blue coaches.
Manufacturing of blue coaches completely stopped from 2018
Keeping in mind the safety and modern standards, Indian Railways Manufacturing of old blue ICF coaches completely stopped in the year 2018 Had done. Now only red LHB coaches and new age Vande Bharat rakes are being manufactured in the railway factories. In a phased manner, blue coaches are being removed from all the express and superfast trains of the country and replaced with red coaches.
(Disclaimer: This report is based on official technical standards of Indian Railways, LHB/ICF coach safety guidelines and data from the Ministry of Railways.)