Non-AC Coaches In Indian Railways Increase To 70% With Focus On Poor
The percentage of non-AC coaches in trains run by Indian Railways has significantly increased to about 70 per cent, and a special manufacturing programme is being implemented to produce an additional 17,000 non-AC general and sleeper coaches over the next 5 years, Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw informed Parliament on Wednesday.
Indian Railways have significantly increased the facilities for passengers demanding general class travel.
During the last financial year 2024-25 alone, 1,250 general coaches have been utilised in various long-distance trains.
Indian Railways continues to run a large number of trains with affordable fare structures, including Mail, Express and passenger trains, for the benefit of the general public including the poor and lower middle class.
Indian Railways has introduced non-AC Amrit Bharat services and Namo Bharat Rapid Rail services, providing high quality services to a larger section of the population, particularly lower income groups, the minister said.
Indian Railways has also provisioned for production of another 100 Amrit Bharat Trains, he added.
Vaishnaw highlighted that due to higher availability of general coaches, the number of passengers travelling in general/unreserved coaches has shown an increasing trend, going up from 553 crore in 2022-23 to 609 crore in 2023-24 and 651 crore in 2024-25.
The number of seats available for non-AC passengers has now gone up to 54 lakh which constitutes 78 per cent of the total while AC seats comprise the remaining 22 per cent.
To provide greater accommodation for the passengers using General and non-AC Sleeper Coaches, the extant policy regarding composition of Mail/Express trains provides for 12 General class & Sleeper class non- AC coaches and 8 AC-Coaches, in a train of 22 coaches, thereby providing greater accommodation for the passengers using General and non-AC Sleeper Coaches, Vaishnaw explained.
Further, to cater to the needs of passengers desirous of availing unreserved accommodation, Indian Railways operate unreserved non-AC passenger trains/MEMU/EMU etc. for affordable travel, which are in addition to the unreserved accommodation (coaches) available in Mail/Express services.
Development of Amrit Bharat Express trains, manufacturing of MEMU trains, and increasing the share of general coaches clearly shows that Indian Railways is catering effectively to the demand for travel in general class, the minister further stated.
Indian Railways has introduced fully non-AC Amrit Bharat trains, presently comprising 11 General Class coaches, 8 Sleeper Class coaches, 1 Pantry car and 2 Second class cum Luggage cum Guard Van & Disabled Friendly Compartment.
These trains have been designed and manufactured to cater to the needs of the general public by providing world-class modern and comfortable rail travel experience to passengers of the non-AC segment.g
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
38 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Delhi to Sitamarhi Amrit Bharat Express train: Check travel time, timings, speed, stoppages
Amrit Bharat Express, Amrit Bharat Train Bihar to Delhi: With an eye on the upcoming Bihar elections later this year, the Ministry of Railways is working in full swing to further improve connectivity in the state by introducing new train services. As part of these efforts, Bihar is set to get another Amrit Bharat Express on Saturday, August 8. The new train will run between Delhi and Sitamarhi and will be inaugurated by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. 'Sitamarhi-Delhi Amrit Bharat Express train will be flagged off by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on 08.08.25 from Punaura Dham, Sitamarhi through video conferencing,' the East Central Railway (ECR) zone said in a statement. Currently, 14 services of Amrit Bharat Express trains are running across the country. These are: Darbhanga to Anand Vihar Terminal, Anand Vihar Terminal to Darbhanga, Malda Town to SMVT Bengaluru, SMVT Bengaluru to Malda Town, Mumbai LTT-Saharsa, Saharsa to Mumbai LTT, Rajendra Nagar Terminal to New Delhi, New Delhi to Rajendra Nagar Terminal, Darbhanga to Gomti Nagar, Gomti Nagar to Darbhanga, Malda Town to Gomti Nagar, Gomti Nagar to Malda Town, Bapudham Motihari to Anand Vihar Terminal and Anand Vihar Terminal to Bapudham Motihari. The Delhi–Sitamarhi Amrit Bharat Express will cover a distance of approximately 1,100 km in 20 hours and 45 minutes. Currently, Sitamarhi is already connected by train number 15557/15558 Darbhanga–Anand Vihar Terminal–Darbhanga Amrit Bharat Express. The Delhi-Sitamarhi-Delhi Amrit Bharat Express will run as train number 14048/14047. During its regular run, the train number 14048/14047 Delhi-Sitamarhi-Delhi Amrit Bharat Express will stop at 13 railway stations. These are: Ghaziabad, Tundla, Kanpur, Lucknow, Gonda, Basti, Gorakhpur, Kaptanganj, Siswa Bazar, Bagaha, Narkatiaganj, Raxaul and Bairgania. The new Amrit Bharat Express train between Sitamarhi and Delhi can run at a maximum speed of 130 kmph. The train is expected to operate once a week, departing from Delhi to Sitamarhi every Saturday, and returning from Sitamarhi to Delhi every Sunday. The Delhi to Sitamarhi Amrit Bharat Express train will begin its journey at 14:00 hrs from Delhi to reach Sitamarhi at 10:45 hrs. On its return journey, the Sitamarhi-Delhi Amrit Bharat Express train will depart at 22:15 hrs and will reach Delhi at 22:40 hrs. Anish Mondal is a business journalist with over nine years of experience. He writes on diverse subjects such as Infrastructure, Railways, Roadways, Aviation, Politics, Market, Parliamentary affairs, Corporate earnings, General and International news etc. ... Read More
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Indian Railways partners Indofast Energy to roll out battery swap stations in Hyderabad, Secunderabad
In a major step towards promoting sustainable mobility, Indian Railways has partnered with Indofast Energy — a joint venture between IndianOil and SUN Mobility — to deploy a network of battery swapping stations across key railway hubs in the Hyderabad and Secunderabad divisions. As part of this initiative, 80 battery swap stations have already been installed across 25 railway stations (56 in Secunderabad and 24 in Hyderabad), with plans to add 40 more stations in the next three months. These facilities aim to support electric two- and three-wheelers, helping ease last-mile connectivity for commuters, delivery partners and ride-sharing operators. The initiative, led by South Central Railway , marks the first-of-its-kind collaboration between Indian Railways and a private partner to deploy EV charging infrastructure within station premises. It also aligns with the Railway Board's policy push to encourage e-mobility at railway stations. Indofast Energy CEO Anant Badjatya said, 'We are immensely proud to partner with Indian Railways on this transformative journey,' he said. Expansion plans Indofast Energy plans to set up over 10,000 swap stations across 40+ cities in the next three years, targeting more than one million EV users. With this collaboration, Indian Railways takes a significant stride toward building a cleaner, more efficient urban transit system. South Central Railway Divisional Manager R Gopalakrishnan added, 'This initiative not only enhances passenger convenience but also reduces emissions and congestion around stations. It showcases how public-private collaboration can accelerate India's green mobility goals.'
News18
7 hours ago
- News18
3 New Vande Bharat Chair Cars To Launch This Week, Including Nagpur-Pune; Sleeper Variant Soon
The decision on the remaining two routes is still under consideration, a railway ministry official said. The tentative routes are Belgaum-Bengaluru and Katra-Amritsar At least three Vande Bharat Chair Cars are expected to be inaugurated on August 10, with one of these connecting Nagpur and Pune, officials aware of the details told News18. The decision on the remaining two routes is still under consideration, a railway ministry official said. The tentative routes are Belgaum-Bengaluru and Katra-Amritsar, as of Wednesday. The nearly 900 km train ride between Nagpur and Pune will be completed in about 10 hours. Currently, Duronto Express is the fastest train on this route, taking nearly 13 hours. The Vande Bharat will start from Ajni station, about 3 km from Nagpur Railway Station, on the Delhi-Chennai line. Among existing Vande Bharat services, the Delhi-Varanasi route covers the longest distance of over 750 km, while the Tatanagar-Brahmapur train has the longest travel time at nine hours and 25 minutes. 'Three new trains are most likely to be flagged off on August 10. One of the routes will be Ajni-Pune," an official said. 'For the remaining routes, the final approvals are pending." The ministry has not issued any official details of the trains or routes as of now. As the Chair Car network expands, Indian Railways is gearing up to launch the much-anticipated Vande Bharat Sleeper variant—the third category after Chair Car and Vande Metro. Vande Bharat Sleeper Expected Soon: In High Demand Already Indian Railways is expected to introduce the Vande Bharat Sleeper train soon, with the ministry finalising the route, News18 has learnt. Earlier plans were for an August 10 launch, which is being reconsidered. In recent weeks, several requests have reached railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw's office for sleeper train allocations, including proposals from poll-bound states Bihar and West Bengal. The Nagpur Division of the central zone submitted a proposal in June for the country's first Vande Bharat Sleeper, but it remains under consideration. On Wednesday, BJP MP Captain Brijesh Chowta from Dakshina Kannada met Vaishnaw, urging the allocation of the sleeper train on the Mangaluru-Bengaluru route. 'There is huge demand for the Sleeper Vande Bharat, and the ministry will soon finalise the route," an official added. The Vande Bharat Sleeper offers three classes—AC First Class, AC 2-Tier, and AC 3-Tier—with a total capacity of 1,128 passengers. Delhi-Patna Route Under Consideration Among the frontrunner routes is Delhi-Patna, although Indian Railways is yet to make an official announcement. In 2024 and earlier this year, a special Vande Bharat Chair Car operated on this route during festive seasons, covering nearly 1,000 km in 11 hours and 30 minutes—the longest chair car journey to date. The first sleeper rake, built by Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai, has already undergone successful trials and was allocated to the northern zone in February, News18 was informed. Earlier this year, the ministry had announced plans to deliver 10 sleeper trains by December. As of July 31, only one train set had been produced. These new sets of trains are redefining travel comfort and convenience for millions of passengers across the country, with commuters expecting faster, safer, and more luxurious journeys. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from politics to crime and society. Stay informed with the latest India news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
