As part of the first Japanese train to open in India, the Mizu sushi train will start service from March 31, with the aim of easing the burden on people travelling between Mumbai and Delhi.
The Mizu, the first of three Japanese trains to open across India, is being built in Nagpur, a city with a population of 3.2 million, and has an estimated passenger capacity of over 50 million people.
“The first train to be run from Nagpur will serve up to 40 million people a day,” said Mr Narayanan, a senior railway official in Mumbai.
The train will run on a fixed schedule and carry around 10,000 passengers a day.
Its first run will take place in April next year.
The new trains, designed by the Tokyo-based company Mizuho, will have a seating capacity of around 40,000 and will have three seating sections for each class of passengers.
The seats will be designed for adults, while children and seniors will be accommodated with one-seater seats, said a source in the Mumbai-based rail company.
A third section will have seats for people with disabilities, such as people with cerebral palsy and spinal disorders.
The train will also carry two special seats for children with disabilities.
At the moment, the trains have only a one-seat section, with an overhead sign reading Mizu.
“It’s the first train that will have dedicated seating for all seats.
All seats are dedicated for adults.
Children with disabilities can also get a seat in this section, but we will soon add two more sections to cater for them,” said the source.
It is expected that the trains will be used in the first quarter of 2019, after which they will be shut down for new trains.
With the introduction of Mizu in Mumbai, the Nagpur-based railway operator Railways India Limited (RIL) has launched a new website that will let passengers and their families know when the trains are running.
On March 16, the company has posted the website on its website, www.mizu.in, with instructions to visitors to download the app to be able to check the schedule of the train.
Railways India Ltd said the app was developed with the input of the Mise Ailu Association and is being developed in cooperation with the Indian Railway Catering Association (IRCA).
“Mizu trains are currently scheduled to be running from Mumbai to Mumbai, Mumbai to Delhi, Delhi to Nagpur and Nagpur to Mumbai,” said a Railway Board official.
The Mise-Ailu project is being jointly undertaken by the MISE Association and IRCA, the railway operator said.
Mizu is the second train to arrive in Nagpura, the state capital of Maharashtra, after the first Mizu was launched in October.
Mizu and Mise were first launched by the IRCA in 2010.