A train overtakes two persons walking along a railway track. The first one walks at 4.5 km/hr. The other one walks at 5.4 km/hr. The train needs 8.4 and 8.5 seconds respectively to overtake them. What is the speed of the train if both the persons are walking in the same direction as the train?

Given

• Walkers: 4.5 km/h and 5.4 km/h (same direction as train).
• Overtake times: 8.4 s and 8.5 s respectively.

Let train speed be v km/h, length L m.L = (v − 4.5) × (5/18) × 8.4L = (v − 5.4) × (5/18) × 8.5Equate and solve ⇒ v = 81 km/h

Check (optional)L = (81 − 4.5) × (5/18) × 8.4 = 178.5 m (consistent)