Indian Railways to Upgrade Sleeper and General Class Coaches to AC
230 coaching will be manufactured in the first phase. Each coach is estimated to cost around Rs 2.8-3 crore.
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The Indian Railways on Thursday, 10 September, announced that it will be redesigning the 3-tier non-AC sleeper classes and unreserved General class coaches as AC (air-conditioned) coaches, in an effort to upgrade train travel.
According to The Indian Express, the Rail Coach Factory in Kapurthala has been entrusted with the task to prototype the re-designed Sleeper Coach, which will have 83 seats instead of the current 72.
“It is like an affordable AC 3-tier class,” reported The Indian Express, quoting a senior official.
In the new coaches, more space has been created by shifting the electrical units, and by omitting compartments for storing linens.
The Indian Railways decided to suspend distribution of linens amid the pandemic and also post it.
According to report, the upgrade of the non-AC coaches will gradually move towards an all-AC model.
The upgraded coaches will be built on the Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) platform for better speed and safety. Over the last few years, the Indian Railways has been moving to an all-LHB stock, phasing out the five-decade old ICF variety technology.
(With inputs from The Indian Express)
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