Indian Railways is upgrading Sleeper & General class buses!
In order to improve the train travel experience for passengers, Indian Railways is redesigning the three-tier touring coaches of the non-AC sleep class as well as the non-reserved coaches of the general class as AC coaches.
According to an IE report, the national carrier will have the option of rolling out All-AC trains without depriving passengers of the opportunity to travel cheaply.
According to official figures, the upgraded Sleeper-class bus will be an economical AC 3-tier-class bus, which will be intermediate between the AC-3-tier and non-AC Sleeper-class buses.
Sources cited in the report said the Rail Coach Factory in Kapurthala was tasked with developing the prototype of the improved Sleeper Class car.
Instead of the current 72 berths, 83 berths will be available.
According to a senior official, the upgraded touring coach is likely to be labeled as a three-tier AC tourist class and will be like an affordable air-conditioned three-tier class. In the first phase, around 230 such coaches will be produced.
It is estimated that each of these coaches will cost around Rs.2.8-3 billion, which is approximately 10% more than the cost of manufacturing the current Indian Railways AC 3 tier coach.
The new “economical” three-tier AC class with more berths and expected demand should, however, lead to higher yields.
In addition, the non-reserved general class coaches of Indian Railways will be expanded to an air-conditioned class with 100 seats. The design for it is currently being finalized.
According to officials working on the project, the original design was for up to 105 seats per coach.
During the UPA-I government, when Lalu Prasad was the former Minister of Railways, Indian Railways added a center side berth in Garib Rath Express trains and introduced it as “AC Economy Class”.
However, these buses were eventually discontinued as passengers complained of discomfort and overcrowding.
In the new, upgraded AC 3-tier class, more space has been created by moving the electrical units and removing the compartments for storing laundry items.
The Indian Railways’ motive behind the upgrade, according to the sources cited in the report, is to gradually switch to an all-AC model. However, a formal decision on this matter has not yet been taken.
For more speed and safety, both improved coaches will be built on the LHB platform.
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