Trains running at 130kmph will now have AC coaches only

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:12.10.2020

Railways will phase out sleeper coaches on mail and express trains that will run at130kmph or above on its tracks. Such trains will have only AC coaches as it plans to upgrade the network.

While railway ministry officials said trains running at less speed will continue to have the sleeper coaches, the railways has set the December 2023 deadline to complete the upgradation of Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah to enable trains to run at 160kmph. This means most of the future long distance trains on these corridors won’t have sleeper coaches.

Sources said though the railways have had this plan for quite some time, this has gained pace recently and more particularly when the Indian Railways is finalising the zerobased time table for future trains.

A railway ministry spokesperson said the ticket prices of such trains will be affordable and it should not be “misconstrued” that all non-AC coaches will be made into AC coaches.

He added AC coaches have become a technical necessity wherever the speed of the train is going to be above 130kmph. “Non-AC coaches will continue to run in trains running at 110kmph…It will be ensured that while the price of tickets of modified AC coaches remains very affordable for the passengers, the comfort and conveniences increase manifold and there is substantial reduction in travel time,” he said.