Indian Railways To Roll Out Seventeen Thousand Non-ac Coaches To Strengthen General And Sleeper Capacity, Introduce One Hundred New Amrit Bharat Trains, And Expand Services For Unreserved Passengers

Friday, August 1, 2025

India has unveiled an eager scheme to manufacture seventeen 1000 non-air-conditioned (non-AC) wide and sleeper coaches complete nan adjacent 5 years arsenic portion of Indian Railways’ broader strategy to grow affordable recreation options for nan country’s lower-income and middle-class population. Announced by Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw successful nan Lok Sabha, nan move comes successful consequence to surging request for low-cost obstruction services, pinch non-AC coaches presently making up astir seventy percent of nan nationalist coach fleet and serving complete six 100 50 crore unreserved passengers annually. The inaugural includes nan rollout of 1 100 caller Amrit Bharat trains, continued maturation of wide coach capacity, and enhanced accessibility features, each designed to fortify India’s wide transit strategy and guarantee inclusive, budget-friendly mobility crossed nan nation.

India to Roll Out 17,000 New Non-AC Coaches Over Five Years arsenic Railways Expand Budget Travel Capacity

In a awesome inaugural to grow low-cost recreation options nationwide, Indian Railways is group to nutrient astir seventeen 1000 wide and non-air-conditioned coaches wrong nan coming 5 years. The plan, announced by Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw successful nan Lok Sabha, is aimed astatine addressing nan expanding request for low-cost recreation and improving entree for lower-income groups.

The description forms portion of Indian Railways’ broader strategy to prioritize budget-friendly recreation options, peculiarly done nan wide and sleeper people segments. As of now, Indian Railways operates a fleet of astir 82,200 coaches. Among these, astir 70%, aliases astir 57,200, are non-air-conditioned, while astir 25,000 are air-conditioned (AC) coaches. This existing fleet creation underscores nan railway system’s reliance connected non-AC coaches arsenic nan superior intends of wide mobility.

Non-AC coaches relationship for a important information of India’s regular rider capacity. Of nan 6.9 cardinal seats disposable each time crossed Indian Railways’ network, adjacent to 78% are successful non-AC categories, including some wide and sleeper class. This highlights nan captious domiciled these coaches play successful connecting immense sections of nan organization that trust connected economical carrier for commuting and long-distance travel.

In nan financial twelvemonth 2024–25 alone, Indian Railways added 1,250 wide people coaches to long-distance trains to reside increasing rider volumes. The number of travelers utilizing unreserved coaches surged to 651 crore successful 2024–25, compared to 609 crore nan erstwhile year. This emergence successful request for unreserved and affordable recreation has necessitated a sustained attraction connected expanding non-AC capacity.

To meet these requirements, Indian Railways introduced nan Amrit Bharat Express—an all-non-AC class of trains designed to service long-distance, high-demand routes. Every Amrit Bharat train is designed pinch a creation that includes eleven wide people coaches, 8 sleeper people coaches, a azygous pantry car, and 2 luggage-cum-guard vans. These vans besides see dedicated spaces for passengers pinch disabilities, ensuring amended accessibility and compliance pinch inclusive mobility standards.

At present, 14 Amrit Bharat trains are successful work crossed various routes. The Railway Ministry has confirmed plans to nutrient 100 much specified trains successful nan coming years. These trains shape a captious portion of Indian Railways’ efforts to heighten capacity successful a cost-effective mode and guarantee last-mile connectivity for agrarian and semi-urban populations.

Minister Vaishnaw besides provided insights into nan emblematic rake creation of Mail and Express trains, which service arsenic nan backbone of India’s long-distance rider network. A modular configuration for specified trains includes 22 coaches—12 of which are non-AC (a operation of wide and sleeper coaches) and nan remaining 8 are AC coaches. This exemplary supports nan wide strategy of maintaining a higher stock of non-AC accommodations to service nan mostly of Indian travelers.

In summation to long-distance services, Indian Railways continues to run short-distance unreserved trains done its MEMU (Mainline Electric Multiple Unit) and EMU (Electric Multiple Unit) services. These trains cater to regular commuters, particularly successful suburban and location corridors, and supplement nan non-AC rider capacity disposable connected Mail and Express trains.

The Railway Minister emphasized that nan coach manufacturing scheme aligns pinch nan government’s proscription argumentation goals—particularly, nan committedness to ensuring accessible, affordable, and reliable mobility for each sections of society. The inaugural besides supports India’s infrastructure improvement targets nether broader nationalist economical and societal readying frameworks.

Operationally, Indian Railways has accrued nan number of rider trains successful regular service. In nan 2024–25 financial year, 13,940 rider trains are moving each day, compared to 13,169 successful nan 2019–20 period. This maturation successful regular operations reflects some capacity description and nan expanding reliance connected railways arsenic a superior mode of proscription crossed nan country.

In statement pinch information modernization, Indian Railways has besides implemented Kavach, India’s indigenous Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system. As of now, nan strategy has been deployed complete 1,548 way kilometers, chiefly connected nan South Central and North Central Railway zones. The ATP strategy enhances operational information by preventing awesome passing astatine threat (SPAD) and ensuring automatic braking successful lawsuit of collision threats.

The upcoming manufacturing of 17,000 non-AC coaches is designed not only to meet coming recreation demands but besides to hole Indian Railways for projected rider maturation complete nan adjacent decade. The scheme complements different modernization efforts, including nan redevelopment of railway stations, electrification of routes, way upgrades, and integer ticketing description .

The Railways’ accordant attraction connected non-AC coaches, including done caller train models for illustration Amrit Bharat and nan scaling up of wide people seating, intends to guarantee that railway services stay inclusive. With a important proportionality of nan Indian organization limited connected affordable nationalist transportation, nan continued accent connected non-AC capacity serves some economical and societal objectives.

This description inaugural besides supports employment procreation successful nan obstruction manufacturing assemblage and strengthens nan home obstruction coach accumulation ecosystem. Coach manufacturing will return spot crossed various accumulation units nether Indian Railways, including ICF Chennai, RCF Kapurthala, and MCF Raebareli, utilizing Indian-made components and aligning pinch nan government’s “Make successful India” and “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” policies.

India has announced plans to manufacture seventeen 1000 non-AC wide and sleeper coaches complete nan adjacent 5 years to boost affordable obstruction recreation for millions of lower-income passengers. The move supports increasing request and strengthens nan country’s attraction connected inclusive, budget-friendly transportation.

By reinforcing its committedness to affordable proscription and inclusive growth, Indian Railways continues to position itself arsenic a captious pillar successful India’s infrastructure improvement and economical mobility landscape.