Nagpur: Indian Railways are going for a new design of general coaches to address the issue of overcrowding in long distance passenger trains. The aim is to accommodate at least 150 to 200 passengers in one coach so as to avoid spill over onto the sleeper or air-conditioned coaches, said a railway press release.
The present capacity of general coaches is around 80 but in reality more than double the travellers undertake risky travel across the length and breadth of the country. Aimed at decongesting the long distance passenger carrying trains, the Railway Board has decided to increase the number of general coaches. For the same Board has placed an order for production of 2,500 bogies.
Also, Railways have plans to increase the number of sleeper coaches by adding 1,377 more coaches. The railway said they plan to augment the general bogies, which they will increase from current 2 to 4 in Mail/Express trains and introduce two coaches in passenger trains whose composition do not have the general compartments. Once the general bogies numbers are increased, around 18crore more travellers can travel by them, said the railway release.
Post the reduction of general coaches, the number of travellers in second sleeper and third tier air-conditioned coaches have jumped creating problems for valid ticket holders. During the peak summer season, travellers had to travel in jam-packed bogies with no room even to move towards toilets. Even the places near toilets were occupied by the often ticketless travellers who had to make it to home for their annual holidays and marriage.
To tide over the shortage of general bogies, at one time their numbers used to be six in each of the long distance trains, but a change of guard at Rail Bhavan led to alteration of this policy, and one by one, the general bogies were cut off. Now only two bogies are in a train, as the Government has decided to increase third air-condition bogies to generate more revenue from Railways.
The social media was awash with photographs of travellers forced to undertake risky and costly travel. The cattle like packing of passengers irrespective of bogie’s handling capacity led to public outcry. As there was no room left in general bogies, ordinary passengers, mostly labourers heading back home, boarded the sleeper and at times even 3 AC bogies. The Railways were too happy to accommodate them but only after charging the difference in ticket rates and also realising penal amounts for wrong ticket travel.
Taking note of social media backlash the mandarins of Rail Bhavan have now decided on partially restoring the general bogies. During 2014-15 about 3045 LHB coaches were manufactured and during 2023-24 about 7151 coaches were handed over to Railways. During the financial year 2024-25 Railways have set a target of adding 8692 LHB coaches and this will include 50 Amrut Bharat trains (push-pull technology) that will have air conditioned as well as non air conditioned coaches. For Vande Bharat 1,600 coaches are going to be manufactured.
