In 22-coach train, 12 are non-AC for general passengers: Railway Minister

New Delhi, Jul 26 (PTI) Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said that the existing policy on composition of mail and express trains provides for 12 non-AC general and sleeper class coaches and eight AC coaches in a train having 22 coaches.

He said that of the total number of coaches presently in use, two-thirds are non-AC, and one-third are AC variants.

The railway minister made the statement in Rajya Sabha in a written response to questions raised by IUML MP Haris Beeran who wanted to know the steps taken by the government to address the persistent problem of overcrowding in low-cost passenger trains and if their number or capacity has been reduced.

"The passenger traffic greatly varied from the year 2019 to 2024 due to COVID-19 pandemic. However, Indian Railways (IR) operates various types of regular time-tabled trains e.g. suburban, short distance passenger trains, long distance/Mail Express/ superfast trains with different composition catering to different segments of passengers," Viashnaw said.

He added, "The extant policy regarding composition of Mail/Express trains, provide for 12 (Twelve) General class & Sleeper class non-AC coaches and 08 (eight) AC-Coaches, in a train composition of 22 coaches, thereby providing greater accommodation for passengers using General and non-AC Sleeper Coaches." The railway minister said that of the total number of coaches presently in use, two-thirds are non-AC, and one-third are AC variants.

Additionally, the Railways has also started Amrit Bharat services which are fully non-AC trains, providing high quality services to the passengers.

"Besides, IR constantly endeavours to provide additional accommodation to travelling passengers by operating Special train services during festivals, holidays, etc. and by augmenting the load of trains, both on permanent and temporary basis, to cater to additional demand," the railway minister said.

He added, "These are on-going processes on Indian Railways. Keeping in view increased demand, IR has planned to manufacture 10,000 non-AC Coaches including General Class and Sleeper Class Coaches." PTI JP JP TIR TIR