Good news for travellers, the Indian Railways has introduced a brand new economy class in the AC 3-tier trains. With the new move, the trains will not only be able to accommodate more passengers but the tariff or ticket price will be 8 per cent less than the normal AC 3-tier fares.
Amit Malviya, a Public Relations Officer with the Indian Railways said, “Indian Railways has introduced the economy class in the three-tier air-conditioned compartments. This facility is being provided for the first time in the Prayagraj-Jaipur train.”
The new AC 3-tier Economy Class will have two coaches and the berths have been increased from 72 to 83, he said, announcing the features.
“This will give more space to people. It has more advanced features, especially for the disabled. There is a smoke detector. Also, there are facilities of dining table, magazine holder at the SL seat of the train,” Malviya added.
According to reports, the new coaches have personalised aircraft-style AC vents at each berth. The coaches also have Divyang-friendly and modular bio-toilets with touch-free fitting.
Railway Ministry’s Statement regarding new coaches
Earlier this week, the Railway Ministry said that the new Economy Class coach will be added to all the mail, express and superfast services. At least 50 economy coaches have already been supplied to the zonal railways. The ministry issued a statement on Saturday and said that the fare of the economy class will be 2.4 times of the sleeper class seats of the express trains. The base fares will start at the probable price of less than Rs 440 per seat for a distance of 1-300 km. The fare might differ according to the distance of travel, the fares can even reach as high as Rs 3,065 for a journey of 4951-5000 km. These charges are not inclusive of additional fees like reservation fees, superfast surcharge, Goods and service tax. The fare for children will follow the same structure as other coaches.
The air-conditioned three-tier economy coaches are being seen as a gamechanger as they will offer the best AC travel at the cheapest price, the railways claimed earlier. According to the railways’ plan, around 806 new coaches are to be rolled out by this fiscal, either by this year or at the beginning of the next year. “By the end of 2021, or in 2022, we will 806 AC three-tier economy class coaches. All our coach factories will work simultaneously to manufacture these coaches. The Railways is getting future-ready and will ensure that all passengers get better travelling experience than ever before,” a railway official earlier said.
