LHB COACHES IN INDIAN RAILWAY

LHB – COACHES

Linke Holfmann Busch GMBH – German
Need for new technology- : Indian railway has been manufacturing passenger coaches of
“Schlirien” design for more than last 50 years.
 Although continuous efforts were being put to upgrade these coaches, but a need was
always felt to imbibe technology in-use developed countries so as to affect a quantum jump
in quality of coaches.
 “M/s Alstom LHB” are one of the leading manufacturers in transport sector having
presence in most of the European countries.
Coaches manufactured by them are running in many countries across the world.
For this contract the bogies were designed and made by M/S FIAT, Switzerland which
is now a part of Alstom group.
LHB coach body is designed and manufactured by leading German company Linke
Holfmann Busch GMBH and bogies are designed by FIAT Switzerland. Combination of Coach
of LHB and Bogies is known as Alstom LHB Coach.
HOW IT BENEFITS RAILWAYS


A longer coach:

 LHB coaches are approximately 2-meters longer than the conventional ICF
type coaches. This means “more travel space” “increased seating capacity”, “wider bays
and doorways” etc.

A lighter coach:

Per meter length, weight of LHB coach is approximately “10%” lesser than
the conventional coach. This not only means lower haulage costs but also less wear and
tears of the coaches and track.


A higher speed coach:

 LHB coaches are designed to run at a maximum speed of 180 kmph.
Even for speeds of 200 kmph, no major changes are required.

Lesser maintenance:

 Use of superior materials with longer life.
 Superior braking with Wheel slide protection (WSP) system based on microprocessor
if the variation of speed of wheel of a Coach is more than 10 kmph. Brakes of the
particular coach are released automatically by microprocessor unit till it is again
reset. It protects the brake binding of the Coach.
 Bogie with less moving parts.
 Items of wear & tear shall not require replacement/renewal before 10 Lakh km.
 Use of stainless steel and less bogie moving parts shall reduce maintenance
requirements.
 Entrance doors flush with side wall allowing automatic car washing.

HOW IT BENEFITS THE PASSENGER
Better ride quality
 Improved ride comfort - ride index reduced from over 3. 0 to 2. 5 at a speed
of 160 kmph.
 Plush interiors of international standards.
 Improved air-conditioning through better duct designing & humidity control.
 Bigger size sealed windows filled with “argon” gas for a panoramic view & heat
insulation.
 Modular “oriental” & “western” style toilets with Controlled discharge toilet
system (CDTS) This system works on electro- pneumatic principle where in, the waste
generated from the coach lavatories during run is collected in a retention tank and is
disposed off far away from the city limits on meeting certain predefined conditions
to avoid soiling of station premises.
 Well equipped pantry with hot cases, deep freezer, bottle coolers etc.
 Flush type swiveling berth reading light.
 Polycarbonate transparent centre tables.

More safe: Safety of passengers is of paramount importance, so a number of precautionary
measures have been adopted in LHB design coaches , like :-
 Four emergency exit windows for faster passenger evacuation during emergencies.
 Wider vestibule design for smooth inter coach movement.
 Convenient to operate emergency alarm pull operation and fire- retardant
furnishing.
 Tight lock centre buffer coupler makes coaches anti-climbing
 Crashworthiness.
DETAILED DESIGN FEATURES OF LHB COACHES
 Length over body - 23540 mm
 Max. Distance between
Inner wheels - 12345 mm
 Max. Buffer drop - 75 mm
 Max. Tare weight - 40.29 t
 No of passengers - 78 (Chair car)
 -56 (Ex. Chair car)
 Test speed potential - 180 kmph
 Ride index of coach - 2.5 to 2.75
 Maintenance criteria - Items of wear & tear not require
 replacement / renewal before 1 million km
 Use of stainless steel and less bogie moving parts reduce maintenance requirements
 LHB CONVENTIONAL ICF
 Test speed - 180 kmph 140 kmph
 Fit to run at - 160 kmph 130 kmph
 Ride index of coach -2.5 approx 3 approx
 No major changes required for 200 kmph
COACH SHELL
 Stainless steel material
o Sidewall & roof structural members in ferritic steel
o Sidewall and end wall sheets of ferritic steel
o Roof sheet & trough floor in austenitic steel
o IRSM-41 steel for all other structural members.
 Structural joints
o Inter-locking joints of vertical &
horizontal members
USE OF COMPOSITE MATERIALS
 “Alucobond” Lavatory Ceiling Panel
& Aluminium Honey Comb Partition
Panels
o Improved aesthetics
o Very good surface finish
o Corrosion resistance
o Better rigidity
o Higher strength to weight ratio
o Can undergo processes such as
rolling, bending, cutting, welding etc. Without loosing out on it’s properties

Flooring Boards – Cork Sandwiched Between Compreg To Absorb Noise

SIDEWALL TO UNDER FRAME JOINT

 Turn under has been eliminated

 Clear approach for sand blasting and painting

 No accumulation of water and muck

 Pillar rests on sole bar as compared to load transfer through a vertical welded joint in 

conventional. Coaches

SHELL CORROSION PROTECTION

 Weld able aluminium paint to avoid bi-metallic corrosion

 Sand blasting and immediate painting

 Noise & corrosion protection coat “BARYSKIN V60DB” sprayed on shell interior 

 “RESONAFLEX-ALU” insulation avoids water collection 

SUPERIOR INSULATION 

 BARYSKIN V60DB” or eq. Sound insulation PU paints on full coach shell interior, 

provide anti drumming sound insulation as well as corrosion resistance

 Sound insulation of 31 dB

 Coating of 2-3 mm thickness in the coach interior, 6-8 mm in body bolster area

 Extremely good fire retardant of class Sr-4 to DIN 5510

BOGIE DESIGN FEATURES

 Adaptation of latest design for improved ride comfort.

 Designed for operating speed of 160 kmph, tested at 180 kmph and has a potential 

for operation up to 200 kmph.

 Structurally superior “y- frame” bogie construction making it lighter and yet stronger.

 Improved primary and secondary suspension for smooth and comfortable riding, 

obtained by use of flexi coil spring.

 Difficult to maintain dash-pot in ICF coach has been eliminated.

 Extensive use of electrometric rubber-metal components

 Equipped with hydraulic shock absorbers conforming to UIC standard with higher life 

cycle rating.

 Axle guidance is provided by an articulated control arm through a resilient bush 

which will give better negotiation on curves.

WHEELS, AXLE AND BRAKES

 Forged wheels IRS R-19 of 915 mm dia. Max usable worn dia: 845 mm.

 Forged axles.

 Cartridge taper roller bearing for axles of “TIMKEN make”.

 Graduated twin pipe release axle mounted disc brake with “EP” feature.

 Passenger alarm systems available with 19 mm choke.

COACH INTERIORS

 Ergonomically designed seats as per Indian anthropometric data.

 Large windows with good visibility.

 Aluminium luggage racks with inbuilt reading lamps.

 Insulation against noise.

 Use of fire- retardant FRP for paneling.

 Hand-safe feature in all automatic sliding doors.

 Anti-skid PVC flooring.

 UIC vestibules and auto closing vestibule door.

COACH INTERIORS 

 Seats have powder coated aluminum frame. Seat cushion & back-rest of moulded 

“PU Foam”. Gas spring used for reclining mechanism.

 16 mm sandwich of “macore wood & cork” has been used as floor panel. This is light 

weight, water & impact resistant.

 Controlled discharge toilet system (CDTS) has a micro – processor controlled 

intermediate waste tank which discharges waste only at speeds above 30 kmph.

DOORS:

 LHB coach has :

 4 body side doors.

 2 compartment doors.

 3 lavatory doors.

 2 vestibule doors.

 1 pantry door.

 2 roller shutters for pantry storage area.

 Hinged type swing sandwich doors.

 Stainless steel body filled with Phenolic resin for better heat insulation.

 Inside panel of door made up of “FRP”.

 Provided with sealed window glass unit.

NEW DESIGN OF LAVATORY DOORS

 No interface with door frame.

 In built micro switch for WC indicator.

 Breakage free sunk-in handle for pulling the 

door.

 Forked latch for keeping the door closed 

when not in use.

SEATS

 78 seats in Second AC Chair car and 56 seats in Executive class chair car

 Fitted with table in the middle of the coach resulting in all seats not facing in one 

direction.

 Seats have powder coated aluminum frame. Seat cushion & backrest of moulded PU 

foam. Gas spring used for reclining mechanism.

 Ergonomically designed seats with adjustable back rest.

 Fitted with better quality of upholstery and woven roving for better fire 

characteristics.

 Provided with 3 step foot rest, snack table, magazine bag and bottle holder. 

 Provided with coach attendant seat in entrance area.

LUGGAGE RACK:

 Made from Aluminum extrusions lengths and 

tempered safety glass

 Can with stand distributed load of 1000 N (100 

kg) per meter length 

 Halogen reading lights, for individual seats, 

fitted into outer extrusion and wiring hidden by 

polycarbonate cover

 Provided with movable coat hooks 

PASSENGER EMERGENCY ALARM: 5 passenger emergency alarms per coach have been 

provided at following locations( 2 in passenger compartment & 3 in lavatories)

WINDOW UNITS: Three types of windows have been used in LHB coaches:

 Fixed window – 12 Nos. 

 Emergency open-able window- 4 Nos.

 Hopper type window for lavatory – 3 per coach

SEALED WINDOW GLASS UNITS: The window glass unit characteristics are:

 K value not less than 1.6 W/m

2

K. Where ‘K’ value gives the heat insulation power of 

the glass, i.e. the quantity of energy which passes through it under well defined 

conditions.

 Transparency > 39 %

 Reflection > 40 %

 Total energy absorption < 21%

 The sealed window units consist of 8.4 mm outer laminated and 4 mm tempered 

inner glass with 6 mm Krypton/Argon gas filled.

EMERGENCY OPEN ABLE WINDOW:

 It is similar to the fixed unit.

 Four units are provided each coach to allow emergency evacuation of passengers 

 A handle connected to the rubber profile opens the glass unit of the emergency 

window

WATER TANKS:3 types of water tanks are provided in LHB coach:

 685 liters: 2 stainless steel water tanks of 685 liters capacity each. These tanks are 

installed in under frame are fixed with frames and are secured by safety belts. These 

tanks constitute the fresh water reserves in the passenger coaches. Water level 

indicator has been provided in these tanks.