KOLKATA - A new superfast train service was launched in India Friday that promises to cut travelling time between New Delhi and Kolkata by 90 minutes without any stops on the way.

Flagged off by Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee, the the splashily painted Duronto - speedy in Bengali - Express will cover the 1,454 km distance between Sealdah station in Kolkata and New Delhi 90 minutes quicker than the present inter-city Rajdhani Express.

While the Rajdhani Express completes the journey in 18 hours, Duronto takes only 16 hours and 30 minutes.

The train will adhere to the speed limit of 110 kmph, but reach faster as there are not commercial stoppages. The Sealdah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express has six commercial stoppages.

Another Duronto Express will be flagged off between Chennai and New Delhi next week. Other metros will also be connected in due course by these nonstop, superfast trains.

The Sealdah-New Delhi Duronto will have one AC I-tier coach, three AC II-tier coaches, four AC III-tier coaches and five economy AC III-tier coaches besides generator cars.

The Duronto rakes comprise ICF coaches used in the Rajdhanis and Garib Raths earlier. The Garib Raths had AC III-tier coaches that could accommodate more passengers than usual.

Each Duronto coach is 24 metres long, compared to the regular coach length of 22.3 metres. The distance between coaches is less too - 460 mm instead of the regular 960 mm.

Besides safety and hygiene features like dustbins and fire extinguishers, the trains have sleeker designs for bottle holders and switches, mobile charging points, sliding transparent doors between coaches, and LED night lamps instead of regular fluorescent lights.

The train is built of stainless steel, which is lighter, anti-corrosive and more durable than the conventional ‘cotton steel’. An important safety feature is the central buffer couplers whose enhanced load capacity makes the train derailment-proof.