Indian Railways expands fleet and services with 6,511 new general coaches in last 5 years

Indian Railways has significantly augmented its fleet by adding 6,511 new general coaches over the past five years, according to Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in a written response to a query in the Rajya Sabha on July 26.

Highlighting advancements in passenger services, Minister Vaishnaw mentioned the introduction of Amrit Bharat services, which feature state-of-the-art technology. These new trains are equipped with advanced features such as semi-permanent couplers for smoother travel, horizontal sliding windows, foldable snack tables, bottle holders, and mobile holders. Currently, four Amrit Bharat Express trains, including the 15557/58 Darbhanga–Anand Vihar(T) Express and the 13433/34 Malda Town-SMVT Bengaluru Express, are operational across the Indian Railways network. The introduction of new train services, including the Amrit Bharat series, is an ongoing process dependent on traffic demand, operational feasibility, and resource availability.

The existing policy for Mail/Express train composition mandates the inclusion of 12 General and Sleeper class non-AC coaches along with 8 AC coaches in a standard 22-coach train. This configuration ensures ample accommodation for passengers using general and non-AC sleeper coaches.

Also read: Rs 8378.53 crore allocated for new line and doubling projects for northeast: Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnav

For the fiscal year 2024-25, Indian Railways has allocated an average annual budget of ₹68,634 crore for New Line, Gauge Conversion, and Doubling Projects. From 2014 to 2024, Indian Railways achieved an expansion of 31,180 km, with a daily average commissioning rate of 8.54 km for new lines, gauge conversions, and doubling sections.

Currently, 651 surveys for New Line, Gauge Conversion, and Doubling projects, spanning a total length of 49,983 km, are underway under the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan. This initiative aims to develop multimodal connectivity infrastructure to various Economic Zones, enhancing logistics efficiency and eliminating gaps for seamless movement of people, goods, and services, including connectivity to industrial clusters, ports, mines, power plants, tourist and cultural sites, and agricultural zones.

As of April 1, 2024, Indian Railways has 488 ongoing infrastructure projects (187 New Line, 40 Gauge Conversion, and 261 Doubling) covering a total length of 44,488 km. These projects, with an estimated cost of ₹7.44 lakh crore, are at various stages of planning, approval, and construction. Of this, 12,045 km has been commissioned, and approximately ₹2.92 lakh crore has been spent up to March 2024.

The government has also initiated measures to improve working conditions for the loco running crew. Loco Pilots are classified under the Continuous Category, with duty hours prescribed at an average of 54 hours over a two-week period as per Section 132 (2) of the Railway Act, 1989. Additional working hours are compensated according to the rates specified in the Railway Act.