Even as the preparation for official flagging off of the ‘Shatabdi killer’ Train 18 is in full swing, the new trainset is reportedly facing a procedural problem as to whether it needs clearance from the Electrical Inspector to the Government (EIG). Train 18, to be India’s fastest at 180 kmph, will ply between Delhi and Varanasi, covering the over 750-km distance in around 8 hours and will be flagged off by PM Narendra Modi. Reportedly, the Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety (CCRS), while giving a conditional safety certificate, has said that since each car of Train 18 has 8 motors and a transformer underneath together drawing power from an electric line of 25,000 volts, the EIG clearance is needed.

However, the view of the Railway Board is that the clearance from EIG is not required as the rolling stock is legally exempt and the electrical safety of the coaches has been duly inspected as well as certified by the top-level electrical engineering establishment at the ICF (Integral Coach Factory) in Chennai, where the train set has been manufactured. The self-propelled Train 18 set has also been certified by the RDSO (Research Designs and Standards Organisation).