Railways to have only LHB and Vande Bharat coaches in next 6 years: Official

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Indian Railways will reduce the types of passenger coaches on its network from 28 to two. “In the next five to six years, there will only be Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) and Vande Bharat type coaches on the Indian Railways,” a top government official told ET, stating this is being done with the intent to help manage maintenance cost of the national transporter. “A profitable transport business is possible if the maintenance costs are managed.

This approach is adopted by successful airlines that opt for a similar kind of aircrafts to lower upkeep costs,” the official added. The Indian Railways has earmarked Rs 9792.88 crore as under the Materials for Repairs and Maintenance head in the Budget 2023-24. “The maintenance cost can come down by 40% with the standardisation move,” the official said.

Besides managing costs, the Railways will also be introducing new trains for lower income passengers, primarily targeted at migrants. Officials said these non-air conditioned coach trains will focus on routes where there is a high demand for cheaper train tickets. “These new trains will run from Assam, Punjab, Eastern UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and West Bengal to Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Delhi,” the official said adding that these routes have been identified after a survey has been done by the Indian Railways.

Unlike seasonal special train services which are introduced as per high demand peak seasons, these will be permanent trains aimed at reducing pressure on the other trains plying the routes. The official also said that changes are being planned in the design of LHB coaches to make them safer for passengers. “Open doors in coaches during the journey will soon be eliminated.