Now NID to give artistic touch to Mumbai-Pune Deccan Queens exterior

The new dining coach that was will be added to the train

After commuters chose their favourite colour scheme, India's premier design institute, the Ahmedabad-based National Institute of Design (NID), is going to work on the exterior look of the iconic Mumbai-Pune Deccan Queen train.

mid-day has been reporting about the developments in the 90-year-old train's comeback, including an upgrade to the class of German-design Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) coaches and a 40-seat dining car with panoramic windows - a first in an LHB-class train. LHB coaches provide improved suspension system with more riding comfort, with a designed speed of 160 kmph that can go up to 200 kmph.

A senior divisional official from the CR said, "We had forwarded the top five external livery designs to the Railway Board for a final decision. The board asked us to consult the NID for inputs and consequently, their teams began visiting Mumbai to inspect the existing train. They also travelled on the train for firsthand experience and interacted with commuters. They also took inputs on the design and other elements from the CR headquarters at CSMT. They will submit their inputs by mid-March."

Deccan Queen's new logo

CR's chief Public Relations Officer Shivaji Sutar said, "The Deccan Queen is one of the prestigious trains of CR running between Mumbai and Pune. It was started by the British in 1930s. This is the only regular passenger train on Indian Railways that has a separate dining car, with its own food menu. We are coordinating with different agencies to finalise the dining car's design."

The Central Railway (CR), in a rare step, is getting the 20-car train specially made based on commuter feedback. The dining car's discontinuation in 2015 had caused quite a hue and cry among regular commuters. Following this, five new colour schemes chosen by Mumbaikars and Punekars were shortlisted by the CR. The top voted design is a royal blue shade on a white background with red bands on the top and bottom with the letters DQ written in a life-size font. The train also has a new logo that incorporates an image of the UNESCO-listed Mumbai CSMT station.

20
No. of cars the train will have

1930s
Decade in which the Deccan Queen started operation

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