Overview
- Railway Board flagged furnishing and workmanship faults including sharp edges at berth areas, problematic curtain handles, and “pigeon pockets” between berth connectors that hinder cleaning.
- Zones must satisfy RDSO and CCRS conditions for operations up to 160 km/h, with RDSO’s updated compliance submitted on September 1, 2025.
- Required safeguards include fitment of Kavach 4.0, reliable communication between loco pilots, train managers and station masters, and rigorous brake-system maintenance.
- Loco pilots are to be trained to uncouple semi‑permanent couplers within 15 minutes during emergencies, with necessary tools provided, and zones must ensure trained technical staff, spares, comfortable temperature settings and multilingual safety announcements.
- With routes still undecided, the Oct. 28 letter was issued to all zones, and the previously targeted late‑October launch has slipped to an unspecified date, with reports pointing to a delay of weeks to months.