LHBCoaches

FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

LinkeHofmannBusch(LHB)coachesarethepassengercompartmentsofIndianRailwaysthathavebeen
developedbyLinkeHofmannBuschofGermany[1](renamedAlstomLHBGmbHin1998afterthetakeoverby
Alstom[2])andproducedbyRailCoachFactoryinKapurthala,India.[3]Theyhavebeenusedsince2000onthe
IndianBroadGauge(1676mm[4])networkofIndianrailways.Initially,24airconditionedcoacheswere
importedfromGermanythatwouldbeusedfortheShatabdiExpresses,afterwhichtheRailCoachFactory
startedmanufacturingaftertechnologytransfer.[5]Thecoachesaredesignedforanoperatingspeedupto
160km/handcouldgoupto200km/h.[6]However,theyhavebeentestedupto180km/h.Theirlengthof
23.54mandawidthof3.24mmeansahigherpassengercapacity,comparedtoconventionalrakes.[7]Thetare
weightoftheACchaircarwasweighedas39.5Tons.[8]
Theyareconsideredtobe"antitelescopic",whichmeanstheydonotgetturnedoverorflipincaseofacollision
(chieflyheadon).Thesecoachesaremadeofstainlesssteelandtheinteriorsaremadeofaluminiumwhichmake
themlighterascomparedtoconventionalrakes.[9]Eachcoachalsohasan"advancedpneumaticdiscbrake
system"forefficientbrakingathigherspeeds,"modularinteriors"thatintegratelightingintoceilingandluggage
rackswithwiderwindows.[10]TheimprovedsuspensionsystemofLHBcoachesensuresmoreridingcomfortfor
thepassengerscomparedtoconventionalrakes.TheairconditioningsystemoftheLHBcoachesisofhigher
capacitycomparedtotheolderrakesandiscontrolledbyamicroprocessorwhichissaidtogivepassengers
bettercomfortthantheoldercoachesduringsummerandwinterseasons.Theyarerelativelyquieteraseach
coachcanproduceamaximumnoiselevelof60decibelswhileconventionalcoachescanproduce100decibels.
EachLHBcoachcostsbetweenRs15millionto20million,whereasthepowercarwhichhousesagenerator
costsabout30million.[6][11]

Contents
1History
2Usage
3Production
4Types
5Technicaldetails
5.1Bogies
5.2Couplers

LHBCoachofNewDelhiDehradun
Shatabdi

5.3Airconditioning
5.4Doors
5.5Watersupplyanddisposal
5.6Toilets
5.7Pantry
5.8Otherequipment
6Externallinks
7References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LHB_Coaches

1/7

History
During199394,IndianRailwaysdecidedtolookforanewpassenger
coachdesignwhichwouldbelighterandcapableofhigherspeeds
comparedtotheexistingrakes.ThemainfeaturesoftheRailways'
specificationwereIndia'sneedforhighspeedlightweightcoachestorun
inIndianRailwayswithinthepresentinfrastructurei.e.specificrailway
andtrackconditionsalongwiththespecificenvironmentalconditionsin
Indiaandtheoperatingspeedof160km/h.[4][9]Itwasdecidedbythe
RailwaysthatthedesignwouldfirstbetriedintheRailCoachFactoryin
Kapurthala(RCF),anduponsuccessfulcompletionofthistrial,itwould
betriedintheIntegralCoachFactoryinPerambur.[5]

TheinteriorofLHBexecutiveclass
or1AcoachofNewDelhiDehradun
ShatabdiExpress.

In1995,afteraglobalselectionprocess,AlstomLHBreceivedtheorder
fromIndianRailwaystodesignanddevelopanewpassengercoachunder
atransferoftechnologyagreement.[9]Aspartoftheorder,AlstomLHB
hadtoexecutetwocontracts,oneforthesupplyof"LightWeightHigh
SpeedCoachesforBroadGauge"[4]whichincludesthedevelopment,
designandmanufactureof19AC2ndClassChairCars,2ACExecutive
ClassChairCarsand3GeneratorcumBrakevans[12]andtheother
contractforthe"TechnologyTransfer"whichincludesthetransferof
technologyfordesignandmanufacturing,thetrainingofIndianRailways
GeneratorcarofBangaloreRajdhani
personnelinthepremisesofthemanufacturerandthetechnicalassistance
ExpressatSecunderabadjunction
atRCFduringthestartofproduction.[5]Outofthe24coachesimported
fromGermany,allofthemmostlybeingAirConditionedchaircars,[13]
thefirstlotwereusedforNewDelhiLucknowShatabdiExpressonatrialbasis.Itdidn'tturnoutbesuccessful
asthecoaches'widewindowsweretargetsofmischiefandstonepelting.Railwayshadtousesealingtapesto
tapeupthebruisedwindows.[9]Whentheserakeswerebroughtintoservice,couplerscameunstuckandthedata
collectedfromthepassengerfeedbackshowedthattheairconditioningwasnot"veryeffective".Theywere
withdrawnfromserviceandafterattendingtotheproblems,RailwaysreintroducedthemontheNewDelhi
LucknowShatabdiExpressandprovedsuccessful.[9][14]
TheRCFbegantomanufactureothervariantsofLHBdesignliketheairconditionedfirstclass,AC2tier
sleeper,AC3tiersleeper,hotbuffet(pantry)caretc.,from2001to2002,androlledoutitsfirstrakein
December2002.ThefirstsuchrakewasintroducedforMumbaiNewDelhiRajdhaniExpressinDecember,
2003.[13]UptoMarch2011,997LHBcoacheswereproducedbytheRCF.[15][16]Allofthesecoachesarebeing
usedinpremiersuperfastexpresstrainslikeRajdhani,ShatabdiandDurontoExpressandhavebeenoffering
betterpassengercomfort.[17]Soon,alltheDurontotrainswillbeequippedwithLHBcoaches.[18]

Usage
IndianRailwayshavedecidedtoreplacetheconventionalairconditionedandnonairconditionedIntegralCoach
FactorymadecoacheswiththeLHBcoachesinallthetrainsbytheendof2016.PresentlyLHBcoachesareseen
mostlyinpremiumairconditionedtrainssuchasRajdhaniExpress,ShatabdiExpressandDurontoExpress
owingtohighcostofmanufacture[19]butslowlynonairconditionedtrainslikePoorvaExpressandPurushottam
ExpressandKarnavatiExpressarealsoupgradedwithnonairconditionedLHBcoachesmanufacturedatRail
CoachFactory,Kapurthala,Punjab.[20]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LHB_Coaches

2/7

Production
AnnualproductionofLHBcoachesisaround400peryearforyear20132014.[21]
During201011,RCFKapurthalaproduced300coaches.[22]During201213,thetotalnumberofcoaches
thatwereproducedwas1680,whilein201314,RCFwasabletoincreasetheproductionto1701
coaches.[23]
During201314,IntegralCoachFactoryproduced25LHBcoaches.[24]Itplanstoincreaseits
manufacturingcapacityofLHBcoaches.Ithassetatargettomanufacture300LHBcoachesin201415
andreachacapacityof1000LHBcoachesby201617.[25]
TheplannedcapacityofRailCoachFactory,Raebareliis1000LHBcoachesperyear.[21]Theplantisyet
tobecomefullyoperational.
ArailcoachfactoryhasbeensanctionedatPalakkad,Keralainpublicprivatepartnershipmodefor
productionofLHBcoaches.[26]Oncecompleted,thisfactorywouldproduce400coachesannually.[27]
RailcoachfactoryissanctionedbygovernmentandistobesetupatKolar,KarnatakainFebruary2014.
Theplannedcapacityofthisplantis500LHBcoachesperyearforphase1andadditionalcapacityof500
coachesperyearinphase2.[28]

Types
LGS=Secondclassselfgenerating
LSCN=Secondclass3tiersleeper[29]
LWACCW=AC2Airconditioned2tiersleepingcar(52berths)[29]
LWACCN=AC3Airconditioned3tiersleepingcar(72berths)[29]
LWCBAC=Airconditionedpantry/kitchen/buffetcar
LWFAC=AC1Airconditionedfirstclasssleepingcar(24berths)[29]
LWFCZAC=Airconditionedexecutivechaircar(56seats)[29]
LWLRRM=Luggage/generator/brakevan
LWSCZAC=Airconditionedchaircar(78seats)[29]
LWSCZ=Chaircar

Technicaldetails
Bogies
TheFIATSIGbogieisaweldedHframetypebasedontheEurofimastandard.Thewheelbaseis2560mm,the
wheeldiameternew915mmandatmaximumwear845mm.Mainfeaturesofthebogieareprimarysuspension
witharticulatedarmsandcoilsprings,secondarysuspensionofintegralflexicoiltypewithcoilspringsand
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LHB_Coaches

3/7

rubberpadsontopandbottom,antirollbar,verticalandtransverseshockabsorbersandantihuntingdampers.
Forbrakingoneachaxletwodiscbrakeswith640mmdiameter,brakecylindersandautomaticslackadjusterare
provided.[12]

Couplers
TheautomaticcenterbuffercouplerofAARtightlocktypeatthecoachendhasasupportframewhichprovides
ananticlimbingprotection.Thecouplercanbeopenedfromthesidebyalever.Thedesignallowstheuseof
screwcouplerinsteadofcenterbuffercoupler.Thereforeafixingplateforbuffersisalsoprovided.Theinter
vehiclecouplerforthesupplyofthe750Vfromthegeneratorcarislocatedbelowtheunderframe.Duetothe
movingsituation4brakehosesaretobeusedatthecoachendwhicharebroughttotwohosesbehindthe
coupler.[12]

Airconditioning
Eachcoachisequippedwithtwocompactroofmountedairconditioning
unitswhichhaveacoolingcapacityofapproximately2x22.5KWanda
heatingcapacityof2x6KWandwhicharecontrolledbya
microprocessor.[5]Theoperatingvoltageoftheunitis3phase,415V,
50Hz.Eachunithas2refrigerantcircuitswithhermeticrefrigerant
compressors,condenserswithCopperpipesandAluminumfins,
evaporatorsandcondenserfans.[12]
ThefreshaircomesinthroughtheairinletoftheACunit.The
conditionedairistransportedinheatinsulatedaluminumductsmounted
belowtheroofanddistributedthroughtheperforatedceilingintothe
passengerroom.Thereturnairflowsbackthroughopeningsabovethe
compartmentdoortotheACunit.Theentrancearea,toiletsandpantry
areconnectedtotheexhaustairsystem.[12]

ControlpanelforAirConditioningin
anLHBrakeofRajdhaniExpress

Doors
Theentrancedoorsaremadeofthesamesteelasthecarbodyshell.Theyareflushwiththesidewalltoallow
easycarwashing.Twohandholdsandthreefixedstepsareprovidedtoenterthecoach.Thedoorinwardopening
totheentranceareaiscoveredfrominsidewithaFRPpanel.Abovethedoorisanentrancelight.Theentrance
stepsareclosedbyafoldablecover.Aninsidehandholdallowseasyentryandexit.Anashtrayisalso
provided.[12]

Watersupplyanddisposal
Therearetwoconnectedfreshwatertanks,whicharemadeofstainlesssteel,withatotalcapacityof1370liters
forthe3toilets.Thewaterlevelisindicatedononetankoneachside.Thefillingcanbemadefrombothsidesby
onefillerforbothtanks.Threeintermediatewatertanks,eachwithacapacityof30liters,madeoutofstainless
steelarelocatedabovethetoilets.Twocentrifugalpumpslocatedinastainlesssteelcasingattheunderframe
supplythewatertothetanks.Oneofthe415Vpumpsisalwayskeptrunning,whiletheotheriskeptonstandby.
Aftereachswitchofftheotherpumpwillwork.[12]
Beloweachtoileta40literswastewatertankisprovidedinwhichthetoiletwasteiscollectedwhenthecoachis
atstandstill.Itgetsopenedwithapneumaticallyoperatedslidingvalvewhenadefinedspeedisreached.The
junctionboxfortheintervehiclecouplerisvisible.[12]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LHB_Coaches

4/7

Toilets
Thecoachesareequippedwith"controlleddischargetoiletsystem"
(CDTS).[6]Bythemeansofthissystem,atoiletinthecoachwould
becomefunctionalonlywhenthespeedofthecoachcrosses30kmph,
whichissaidtohelpinavoidingthesoilingofthetrackattherailway
stations.[9]Bothoriental(squat)andwesternstylesoftoiletsareprovided.
Onesideofthetoiletisprovidedwithawashbasinwithwatertapand
sensorbutton,asoapdispenser,amirror,anashtrayandawastebin.On
theothersidethereisthetoiletitself,awatertapwithmug,ahandhold,
thetoiletpaperholderandthesensorbuttonforthetoiletflush.The
windowinthetoiletcanbeopenedintheupperhalf.Thetoiletdoorsare
offoldingtypetousetheavailablespacetoanoptimum.[12]

Controlpanelforwatersystemofan
LHBrakeinaRajdhaniexpresstrain

Pantry
Eachvehicleisequippedwithapantryforstoringcoldandhotmealswhicharetobeservedtothepassengersat
theirseats.Inthegangwaybetweenthepassengerroomdoorandtheentranceisononesidethepantryandon
theothersidethestoragearea.Thepantryisclosedbyadoubleleafslidingdoorandthestorageareabyroller
shutters.Ontheleftside,a15literswaterboiler,an11literssoupwarmer,asinkandracksareprovided.The
othersideisequippedwiththreehotcases,thebottlecooler,therefrigeratorandthedeepfreezerforthe78
passengers.Thestorageareagivesspaceforracksandalsofortheservingtrolley.[12]

Otherequipment
Ontheoutsidewallofthetoiletawastebinandafireextinguisherarelocated.Thefireextinguisheronthe
powerpanelendisfilledwithcarbondioxide,theoneontheotherendwithwater.ThevestibuleisofUIC
rubbertype.Thevestibuledoorisadoubleleafstainlesssteelslidingdoor.Ontheleftsidethesocketofthelocal
415Vsupplyislocated.A60kVAtransformerwithcopperwindingtransformsthepowergivenbythe
generatorcarfrom750Vto415V.Allbrakecontrolequipmentiscentrallylocatedinabrakecontainer.Amain
brakepressurereservoirof125litersandaservicepressurereservoirof75litareprovided.[12]

Externallinks
ConventionalICFvsLHBcoachesandlistoftrainsusingLHBcoaches(http://trainstuff.in/icflhb)

References
1. ^"NewlooktraintoDelhirollsout"(http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/201204
22/bangalore/31382279_1_accoachespantrycarnewcoaches).TimesofIndia.22Apr2012.Retrieved5Sep2012.
2. ^"History"(http://www.alstom.com/germany/aboutus/history/).Alstom.Retrieved5Sep2012.
3. ^"FastesttrainDuronto'isslowofftheblocks"
(http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/article3265382.ece).TheHindu.31Mar2012.Retrieved5Sep
2012.
4. ^abc"ImprovementinSecondarySuspensionof"IRYIR20"CoachusingAdams/Rail"
(http://www.mscsoftware.com/support/library/conf/adams/rail/pdf/IRY_IR20_Coach.pdf).'RailCoachFactory.
Retrieved8Sep2012.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LHB_Coaches

5/7

5. ^abcd"NewACcoachesinductedintoRailways"(http://www.expressindia.com/fe/daily/20000317/fec17088.html).
IndianExpress.17Mar2000.Retrieved8Sep2012.
6. ^abc"LHBcoachessavedRajdhanipassengers"(http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/201003
25/patna/28143401_1_conventionalcoachesac3shatabdi).TimesofIndia.25Mar2010.Retrieved5Sep2012.
7. ^"BogieboostforRajdhani&Shatabdi"
(http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120514/jsp/jharkhand/story_15485712.jsp#.UEd3abLibnM).TheTelegraph.14May
2012.Retrieved5Sep2012.
8. ^"OBJECTIVESOFTHENEWTECHNOLOGY"(http://www.scribd.com/doc/58984025/IntroductiontoLHB
Coach).Scribd.Retrieved5Sep2012.
9. ^abcdef"NewcoachesforMumbaiRajdhani"
(http://www.thehindubusinessline.in/2003/05/19/stories/2003051900100600.htm).BusinessLine.19May2003.
Retrieved8Sep2012.
10. ^"NewlookcoacheslikelyinShatabdiExp"(http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/200906
29/chennai/28178942_1_lhbcoacheskjsnaiduattractiveupholstery).TimesofIndia.29Jun2009.Retrieved21Sep
2012.
11. ^"OldrakeallottedtoDurontoExpress"(http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/article3348367.ece).
TheHindu.24Apr2012.Retrieved5Sep2012.
12. ^abcdefghijk"ALSTHOMcoaches"(http://www.irfca.org/~mrinal/alstomcoaches.html).IRFCA.Retrieved6Sep
2012.
13. ^ab"RollingStock"(http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/directorate/stat_econ/YB0506/rolling
stock.pdf).IndianRailways.
14. ^"Importedcoachesreadytohitthetracks"(http://www.hindu.com/2001/11/12/stories/0212000k.htm).TheHindu.12
Nov2001.Retrieved8Sep2012.
15. ^"RCFproduces597LHBCoaches"(http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=50463).PressInformationBureau,
Govt.ofIndia.16Jul2009.Retrieved7Sep2012.
16. ^"InductionofLinkeHolfmanBushcoachesatsnailspace"(http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/201208
10/patna/33136222_1_lhbcoachesconventionalcoacheskapurthalarailcoachfactory).TimesofIndia.10Aug2012.
Retrieved7Sep2012.
17. ^"RailwaystooptforLHBcoachesinalltrains"(http://www.odishatv.in/NewsDetail.asp?newsId=NS40470).Orissa
TV.22Apr2011.Retrieved7Sep2012.
18. ^PressTrustofIndia."Railwaystoincreaserollingstockoutput"(http://www.businessstandard.com/article/pti
stories/railwaystoincreaserollingstockoutput113110701032_1.html),BusinessStandard,NewDelhiNovember7,
2013.Retrievedon11November2013.
19. ^"RCFtorolloutnonACstainlesssteelcoaches"(http://www.businessstandard.com/india/news/rcftorolloutnon
acstainlesssteelcoaches/432015/).BusinessStandard.13Apr2011.Retrieved14Sep2012.
20. ^http://www.businessstandard.com/article/ptistories/purushottamexptohavelhbcoachesfromdec1
113112900950_1.html
21. ^abhttp://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=104072
22. ^"Kapurthalagetsordertomake693bettercoaches"(http://www.indianexpress.com/news/kapurthalagetsorderto
make693bettercoaches/947364/).IndianExpress.10May2012.Retrieved21Sep2012.
23. ^.PressTrustofIndia.11April2014http://www.ptinews.com/news/4597981_RCFachieveshighestevercoach
productionin201314.html.Retrieved20April2014.Missingorempty|title=(help)
24. ^http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/indiabusiness/ICFproducesrecord1622
coaches/articleshow/33089541.cms
25. ^http://www.railjournal.com/index.php/asia/indiangovernmentapproveskolarcoachfactory.html?channel=529
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LHB_Coaches

6/7

26. ^"PrintRelease"(http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=90037).MinistryofRailways.6Dec2012.
27. ^"CabinetapprovesrailcoachfactoryinPalakkad"(http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industryand
economy/logistics/article2899532.ece).BusinessLine.16Feb2012.Retrieved23Jan2013.
28. ^http://www.businessstandard.com/article/economypolicy/cabinetapprovesrailcoachfactoryatkolar
114022801430_1.html
29. ^abcdef"Rlysmayraisestainlesssteelcoachproduction"(http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/todayspaper/tp
logistics/article1661761.ece).BusinessLine.22Jun2007.Retrieved6Sep2012.

Retrievedfrom"http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=LHB_Coaches&oldid=645580910"
Categories: RailwaycoachesofIndia
Thispagewaslastmodifiedon4February2015,at09:51.
TextisavailableundertheCreativeCommonsAttributionShareAlikeLicenseadditionaltermsmay
apply.Byusingthissite,youagreetotheTermsofUseandPrivacyPolicy.Wikipediaisaregistered
trademarkoftheWikimediaFoundation,Inc.,anonprofitorganization.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LHB_Coaches

7/7