A new Economy AC coach by Indian Railways is around the corner and will soon be rolled out. Incidentally, Rail Coach Factory (RCF) Kapurthala has already rolled out a prototype Economy AC 3-tier coach with aircraft-style comforts. There will be luxury train travel that too with economy fares.
There are many features like personalized AC vents and reading lights, USB charging points for every berth and many more to look out for. This coach has 83 berths, as opposed to the conventional AC-3 tier coach which has 72 berths. This could be done by underslunging i.e. shifting the main electrical control below the train.
The new AC coach which offers more comfort than the AC 3-tier coach is likely to replace Sleeper coaches in Mail/Express trains. Ravinder Gupta, GM of RCF said that by providing personalized comfort features to passengers they have tried to make up for the reduced space. He added that at a marginal increase in manufacturing cost, they could match some features of the new coach with that of aircraft and luxury cars.
Following are the salient features of the same:
- Personalised AC vents for every berth
- Personalised reading lights for every berth
- Personalised socket for charging mobiles and USB points
- 83 berths as against 72 in AC-3 tier
- Snack table with side berth as well
- Illuminated seat numbers
- 160 kmph speed potential keeping in mind future needs
- Disabled-friendly entry/exit and one divyang-friendly toilet
- Modified ladders for climbing middle and upper berths
- Fire proof berths with enhanced profits
Why There Was A Need?
With an aim to run trains at speeds of 160 kmph, Indian Railways led by Piyush Goyal is upgrading the Golden Golden Quadrilateral and its diagonals. Speeds greater than 110 kmph cannot be taken by the sleeper class coaches and hence there is a need to replace them by Economy AC coaches. Although, for the trains running lower than 110 kmph, the sleeper class coaches will still be used. It will be having higher fares than the sleeper class but lower than that of AC-3 tier tariff.
Depending on the feedback received after being tested by the Research Designs & Standard Organization(RDSO), changes in subsequent coaches will be incorporated. In this financial year, a nod for manufacturing 100 Economy AC coaches has been given by the Railway Board. 148 more of them shall be approved in 2021-22.
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