78 pc of seats in India’s trains are non-AC to facilitate travel for poor: Vaishnaw

New Delhi: Indian Railways has significantly enhanced the travel facilities for the benefit of economically weaker passengers with the number of seats available for non-AC passengers increasing to 54 lakh, which constitutes 78 per cent of the total, while AC seats comprise the remaining 22 per cent, the Parliament was informed on Wednesday.

Due to the higher availability of general coaches, the number of passengers travelling in general unreserved coaches has shown an increasing trend, going up from 553 crore in 2022-23 to 609 crore in 2023024 and 651 crore in 2024-25, Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw said in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.

During 2024-25 alone, 1,250 general coaches have been utilised in various long-distance trains. To cater to the travel demand of the low and middle-income families, the Railways has taken up the production of another 17,000 non-AC coaches (general/sleeper) over the next 5 years.

The percentage of non-AC coaches on Indian Railways is as high as 70 per cent.

The minister further stated that Indian Railways has also developed a fully non-AC modern train named Amrit Bharat Express. Already, 14 services are in operation. The present composition of Amrit Bharat consists of 11 general class coaches, 8 sleeper class coaches, 1 pantry car and 2 luggage cum Divyangjan coaches.

High-speed and enhanced safety standards are the hallmarks of these trains with enhanced features and amenities. These include the provision of a CCTV system in all coaches and luggage rooms, improved designs of toilets, improved design of the ladder for ease of climbing onto the berth and better LED light fittings and charging sockets.

Further, to cater to the needs of passengers desirous of availing unreserved accommodation, Indian Railways operates unreserved non-AC passenger trains/ MEMU/EMU, etc, for affordable travel, which are in addition to the unreserved accommodation (coaches) available in Mail and Express services.

To provide greater accommodation for the passengers using general and non-AC sleeper coaches, the extant policy regarding composition of Mail and Express trains provides for 12 general class and sleeper class non-AC coaches and eight AC coaches, in a train of 22 coaches, the minister said.

He also said that the Indian Railways makes every endeavour to keep trains and stations in a properly maintained and clean condition to ensure passengers’ comfort and a pleasant travel experience. Various measures have been taken to improve sanitation at Railway stations and coaches. Key measures include the installation of bio-toilets in all passenger coaches so that no human waste is discharged from coaches onto the track, resulting in improved cleanliness levels of the platforms and stations like never before.

Besides, mechanised cleaning is being carried out at major stations and in trains. On-board housekeeping services are provided to maintain cleanliness and hygiene in identified trains during the run of the train, the minister added.

–IANS