Nagpur: In a recent development, the Railway Board has announced plans to curtail non-airconditioned coaches in 37 pairs of Mail/Express trains during the 2024-2025 period. Despite assurances that sleeper coaches would not be reduced, the proposed changes are set to impact the composition of several key routes, raising concerns among passengers.
The alteration in coach composition is attributed to the replacement of conventional Integral Coach Factory (ICF) coaches with LHB coaches. An unsigned communication from the railways reveals that six of the affected train pairs originate from Nagpur, serving routes to Pune, Mumbai, Kolhapur, Jaipur, and Ahmedabad.
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The targeted passenger trains for conversion to LHB coaches include prominent services such as Nagpur-Ahmedabad Prerna (22137-38), Nagpur-Jaipur (22175-76), Nagpur-CSMT Sevagram (12139-40), Nagpur-Pune Garib Rath (12113-14), Nagpur-Pune (12135-36), and Nagpur-Kolhapur (11403-04).
Notably, all the mentioned trains, except Garib Rath, currently operate with 22-24 coaches, featuring at least 11 sleeper class coaches. In the proposed plan, sleeper coaches will be replaced by 11 AC-III coaches, a move that has raised concerns among passengers who prefer the non-airconditioned sleeper class.
This decision follows the previous reduction of sleeper coaches in Nagpur-CSMT Duronto and Amravati-CSMT Express by the Railway Board. While protests led to the restoration of sleeper coaches in Duronto, the same was not done for Amravati-CSMT Express, indicating a potential trend towards reducing sleeper class availability in certain train services.
Passengers and advocacy groups are expressing their apprehensions over these changes, emphasizing the importance of maintaining sleeper class options, particularly on routes with high demand for non-airconditioned travel. As the Railway Board proceeds with its plans, it remains to be seen how these modifications will impact the overall travel experience for passengers on the affected routes.
Rail Yatri Sangh President Braj Bhushan Shukla has already raised the issue in DRUCC meetings. “We are not opposed to LHB coaches but curtailing sleeper class coaches, mostly used by the middle-class sector, is wrong.”
