Tatanagar: Railways to increase seating capacity by replacing third AC with economy coaches

Jamshedpur, June 26: In a bid to enhance seating capacity in trains, Railways is replacing third AC coaches with economy coaches, aiming to accommodate more passengers on long-distance journeys. Across the South East Zone and several others, third AC coaches are being phased out and replaced with economy coaches in trains like the Howrah-Secunderabad Falaknuma Express and others.

The shift to economy coaches, which offer lower fares compared to third AC, has gained popularity among passengers. These coaches now also provide bed roll facilities similar to third AC, further increasing their appeal. Railways benefit economically from the increased seating capacity in economy class coaches.

Experts note that this conversion has involved removing sleeper coaches from dozens of trains to accommodate economy coaches, which typically offer 11 additional seats per coach. The layout of economy coaches provides less space between facing seats compared to third AC, allowing for the inclusion of more seats per coach.

Currently, economy coaches are available on trains like Tatanagar’s Yashwantpur Express, South Bihar Express, Nilanchal Express, and Geetanjali Express. Future plans include equipping nearly all trains with economy coaches, enabling passengers to travel longer distances at reduced costs.

Introduced in 2021 for passenger convenience, the Railways has already deployed over 12,000 economy coaches across 16 zones nationwide. Production has commenced in railway factories to expand the availability of economy coaches across trains equipped with the LHB model. According to railway booking systems, third AC coaches typically accommodate 72 seats, whereas economy coaches feature 83 seats, providing increased seating capacity and convenience to passengers with waiting tickets.