The Hindu Business Line : Rlys to gain from high capacity coaches

Extra berth
Capacities would be added over a phased manner.
Both AC, non-AC coaches will have three side berths.
Increased capacity may lower unit cost of transportation.

Mamuni Das

New Delhi, Jan. 8

The Indian Railways’ proposal to convert the design of all its air-conditioned three-tier coaches by adding an extra berth along the side lengths could help it garner another Rs 400-500 crore annually as earnings from passenger operations. This was told to Business Line by top officials of the Railway Ministry.

Of course, these capacities would be added over a phased manner since the design changes in existing coaches would be made only when they go to workshops for the periodic overhaul. The coaches would have three side berths along the length of the coach as against two side berths. By 2005 March, the Railways had 1,800 AC three-tier coaches—all of which would have to be re-designed over time.

For the new AC three-tier coaches, the Ministry has tried out such an option (of increasing the height by almost 17 cm to accommodate more berths along the train length).

Pilot done in Garib Rath

This has been test tried in the second variant of low-cost AC coach (initially used in Garib Rath trains) whereby each coach can accommodate 81 berths as against 64 in the AC III tier coaches in use. The height of AC III tier coaches have been increased to 483.1 cm from 421.3 cm to accommodate 81 seats.

Non-AC segment

Incidentally, the Railways has also decided to have a similar design in the non-AC segment, which would increase the capacity of each coach by 10-15 per cent. The non-AC sleeper coaches being used by Railways have 72 berths. So all the non-AC sleeper coaches are also being retro-fitted with an additional side berth as and when they are overhauled in workshops. By 2005 March 31, Railways had 11,000 sleeper coaches.

With over 10 per cent increase in capacity, this would lower the unit cost of transportation. And given that the Railway Minister, Mr Lalu Prasad, has promised a “people-friendly” budget this year, there may be a scope for marginal reduction in passenger fares as well, say sources.