Parliament Question: Reduction in number of coaches in trains

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3927 ANSWERED ON 27.03.2026 REDUCTION IN NUMBER OF COACHES IN TRAINS 3927 DR. ASHOK KUMAR MITTAL: Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state: (a) the reasons for the continuous, systematic reduction in the number of sleeper and unreserved coaches in long-distance express trains; (b) whether this has led to severe, inhumane overcrowding, forcing ticketless travel and jeopardizing passenger safety; (c) the details of the massive decline in affordable travel options for the working class and migrant labourers; (d) the failure to operate an adequate number of special trains during peak festival seasons to clear the massive rush; and (e) the steps taken to immediately restore the ratio of non-AC coaches in all regular express trains? ANSWER MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW) (a) to (e) General and Sleeper class coaches It is wrong to say that general and sleeper coaches are being reduced. On the contrary, more general and sleeper coaches are being added. With a view to meet the demand of passengers travelling in unreserved coaches, Indian Railways (IR) have significantly increased the facilities for passengers demanding general class travel. During the last financial year 2024-25 alone, 1250 general coaches have been utilised in various long-distance trains to have at least 4 general class coaches. In the current financial year (upto February, 2026), 860 Coaches have been utilised for permanent augmentation. To cater to the travel demand of the low and middle income families, Indian Railways have taken up manufacturing of 17,000 non-AC coaches (general/sleeper). On IR, the percentage of non-AC coaches, is about 70% as indicated below: Page 1 of 4 §Table 1: Distribution of coaches: Non-AC coaches (general and sleeper) ~62,000 ~70% AC coaches ~27,000 ~30% Total coaches ~89,000 100% Table 2: Distribution of seats: Non-AC seats ~ 54 lakhs ~ 78% AC seats ~ 15 lakhs ~ 22% Total ~ 69 lakhs 100% Moreover, to provide greater accommodation for the passengers using General and non-AC Sleeper Coaches, the extant policy regarding composition of Mail/Express trains provides for 12 (Twelve) General class & Sleeper class non- AC coaches and 08 (eight) AC-Coaches, in a train of 22 coaches, thereby providing greater accommodation for the passengers using General and non-AC Sleeper Coaches. Further, to cater to the needs of passengers desirous of availing unreserved accommodation, Indian Railways (IR) operate unreserved non-AC passenger trains/ MEMU / EMU etc. for affordable travel, which are in addition to the unreserved accommodation (coaches) available in Mail/Express services. Amrit Bharat service: To provide affordable means of transportation to the low and middle income families, Indian Railways have introduced Amrit Bharat services that are fully non-AC modern trains. The present composition of Amrit Bharat consists of 11 General Class coaches, 8 Sleeper Class coaches, 01 Pantry Car and 02 Luggage cum Divyangjan coaches. High Speed and enhanced Safety standards are the hallmarks of these trains with following enhanced features and amenities: ● Better aesthetics of seat and berths with enhanced look & feel on the lines of Vande Bharat Sleeper. ● Jerk Free Semi-Automatic Couplers. ● Improved Crashworthiness in coaches by provision of crash tube. ● Provision of CCTV system in all coaches. Page 2 of 4 §● Improved designs of toilets. ● Improved design of Ladder for ease of climbing on to the berth. ● Improved LED Light fitting & Charging Sockets. ● Provision of EP assisted braking system. ● Aerosol based fire suppression system in toilets and electrical cubicles. ● USB Type-A and Type-C mobile charging sockets. ● Emergency Talk Back system for two-way communication between Passenger and Guard/Train Manager. ● Non-AC pantry with enhanced heating capacity. ● Fully sealed gangways with quick release mechanism for easy attachment and detachment. As on 15.03.2026, the following 30 pairs Amrit Bharat Express services are being operated on the Indian Railways network: SN Train No. and Name 1 11015/11016 Lokmanya Tilak (T) - Saharsa Amrit Bharat Express 2 13697/13698 Gaya - Delhi Amrit Bharat Express 3 15293/15294 Muzaffarpur - Charlapalli Amrit Bharat Express 4 15557/15558 Darbhanga - Anand Vihar (T) Amrit Bharat Express 5 15561/15562 Darbhanga - Gomtinagar Amrit Bharat Express 6 15567/15568 Bapudham Motihari - Anand Vihar (T) Amrit Bharat Express 7 22361/22362 Rajendranagar (T) - New Delhi Amrit Bharat Express 8 13433/13434 SMVT Bengaluru - Malda Town Amrit Bharat Express 9 13435/13436 Malda Town - Gomtinagar Amrit Bharat Express 10 15133/15134 Chhapra - Anand Vihar (T) Amrit Bharat Express 11 14047/14048 Sitamarhi - Delhi Amrit Bharat Express 12 14627/14628 Saharsa - Chheharta Amrit Bharat Express 13 19623/19624 Madar - Darbhanga Amrit Bharat Express 14 16601/16602 Erode - Jogbani Amrit Bharat Express Page 3 of 4 §15 19021/19022 Udhna - Brahmapur Amrit Bharat Express 16 15671/15672 Kamakhya - Rohtak Amrit Bharat Express 17 20609/20610 New Jalpaiguri - Tiruchchirappalli Amrit Bharat Express 18 16597/16598 SMVT Bengaluru - Alipurduar Amrit Bharat Express 19 11031/11032 Panvel - Alipurduar Amrit Bharat Express 20 16107/16108 Tambaram - Santragachi Amrit Bharat Express 21 13065/13066 Howrah - Anand Vihar (T) Amrit Bharat Express 22 22587/22588 Sealdah - Banaras Amrit Bharat Express 23 20603/20604 New Jalpaiguri - Nagercoil Amrit Bharat Express 24 15949/15950 Dibrugarh - Gomti Nagar Amrit Bharat Express 25 16121/16122 Tambaram - Thiruvananthapuram Central Amrit Bharat Express 26 16329/16330 Nagercoil - Mangaluru Amrit Bharat Express 27 17041/17042 Charlapalli - Thiruvananthapuram North Amrit Bharat Express 28 16619/16620 Podanur-Dhanbad Amrit Bharat Express 29 16357/16358 Nagercoil-Charlapalli Amrit Bharat Express 30 15673/15674 Charlapalli - Kamakhya Amrit Bharat Express Special Trains IR also operates Special train services during festivals, holidays, etc. to cater to the extra needs of passengers and supplement the accommodation available by regular services. Accordingly, the number of Special trains operated across the Indian Railways network, to facilitate the passengers during Summer/winter vacations, festivals like Holi, Durga Puja, Diwali, Chhath, Christmas, Sabrimala, Id-ul-fitr etc. are as below: Year No. of trips 2023-24 ~40,500 2024-25 ~85,400 2025-26(upto Feb, 2026) ~74,800 ***** Page 4 of 4 §