: In order to make airconditioned travel more affordable for the common man, Indian Railways is preparing to run a full train with only Economy AC-3 tier coaches, similar to the concept of the Humsafar Express, the Times of India mentioned in a report. Fares in the Economy AC-3 tier trains are 8% less than the regular AC-3 tier coaches.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently inspected the newly manufactured coaches and said that a train consisting of AC-3 tier Economy coaches only should run. A railway official told the publication that once the necessary number of coaches are available, a train will be run on a trial basis to understand the demand and occupancy trends. The official further added that any zone would ned at least 16-18 coaches to run the train. The route for the train is yet to be decided.

Worth mentioning here is that the Economy AC-3 coaches have 83 berths, 11 more than the normal AC-3 tier coach. A prototype of the Economy AC-3 coach, manufactured by RCF Kapurthala, was first unveiled in February this year. A trial run of the coach has been done at a speed of 180 kmph by RDSO. Starting September 2021, these coaches have been attached to several trains.

The national transporter aims to replace sleeper coaches with AC-3 tier Economy coaches in some key long-distance trains to allow for faster and more comfortable travel. According to Indian Railways, the coaches offer the “most affordable in its class air-conditioned” train travel in the world. Some of the major passenger-friendly features include, personalised aircraft-style vents for air conditioning, personalised reading lights and charging points, modular bio-toilets, one Divyang-friendly toilet in each coach, modified ladder for reaching the middle seat and upper berths.