The Indian Railways launched its first-ever air-conditioned economy class train coach. It has an advanced design of seats and berths with foldable snack tables. Other great features are the water bottle holders and free space for magazines and mobile phones.
According to railway authorities, the AC-three-tier economy class coach will be affordable for the common public. The price range for a ticket is between that of a sleeper class and AC-three tier coach seat.
The railway ministry said in their announcement, &ldquoThis new three-tier air-conditioned economy class coach will be a symbol of aspirational India bringing AC travel to a bigger number of people and improving the capacity of our express trains. Undoubtedly, every rail journey from here on will become a journey of pleasant memories.&rdquo
For the trial run, the three-tier economy coach was released by Rail Coach Factory (RCF) from Research, Design, and Standards Organisation (RDSO), Lucknow. The coach was designed by RCF in Oct 2020 who plan on creating 248 more coaches within the time of the current and next fiscal year.
The new coach design has a high voltage electrical switchgear and improved AC ducting for individual vents in each berth. Berths have night lights and illuminating berth numbers, and individual mobile charging points and reading lights.
Comparatively, the middle and upper berths have more headspace than normal coaches. The washrooms have a wider entrance with an additional toilet built for the disabled section. According to the statement, additional berths have been added - from 72 coaches to 83 coaches.