NEW DELHI: Railroads will phase out sleeper cars in mail and express trains running at 130 km / h or more on their tracks. Such trains will only have AC coaches as it plans to upgrade the network.
While Ministry of Railways officials said slower-running trains will continue to have sleeper cars, the railways set a December 2023 deadline to complete the Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah upgrade to allow the trains run at 160 km / h. This means that most future long-distance trains in these corridors will not have sleeping cars.
Sources said that while the railways have had this plan for quite some time, this has picked up pace recently and more particularly as Indian Railways is finalizing the zero-based time table for future trains.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Railways said ticket prices for such trains will be affordable and it should not be “misunderstood” that all non-AC coaches will be converted to AC coaches.
He added that air-conditioned wagons have become a technical necessity wherever the train speed exceeds 130 km / h. “Coaches without air conditioning will continue to run on trains running at 110 km / h … It will be ensured that while the ticket price of modified air-conditioned coaches remains very affordable for passengers, the comfort and Conveniences increase and there is a substantial reduction in travel time, ”he said. The spokesperson said that an 83-berth coach is currently being designed. There is a plan to have 100 such coaches this year and 200 next year.
Officials said the new AC coaches will be inexpensive as their tickets will be priced between AC 3 and sleeper coaches. Compared to 72 seats in a sleeper coach, this new AC coach will have 83 seats, but the number of seats in a coupe will remain the same. However, there will be no additional intermediate bunks between the upper side and lower side bunks.
While Ministry of Railways officials said slower-running trains will continue to have sleeper cars, the railways set a December 2023 deadline to complete the Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah upgrade to allow the trains run at 160 km / h. This means that most future long-distance trains in these corridors will not have sleeping cars.
Sources said that while the railways have had this plan for quite some time, this has picked up pace recently and more particularly as Indian Railways is finalizing the zero-based time table for future trains.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Railways said ticket prices for such trains will be affordable and it should not be “misunderstood” that all non-AC coaches will be converted to AC coaches.
He added that air-conditioned wagons have become a technical necessity wherever the train speed exceeds 130 km / h. “Coaches without air conditioning will continue to run on trains running at 110 km / h … It will be ensured that while the ticket price of modified air-conditioned coaches remains very affordable for passengers, the comfort and Conveniences increase and there is a substantial reduction in travel time, ”he said. The spokesperson said that an 83-berth coach is currently being designed. There is a plan to have 100 such coaches this year and 200 next year.
Officials said the new AC coaches will be inexpensive as their tickets will be priced between AC 3 and sleeper coaches. Compared to 72 seats in a sleeper coach, this new AC coach will have 83 seats, but the number of seats in a coupe will remain the same. However, there will be no additional intermediate bunks between the upper side and lower side bunks.
.
