Parliament Question: Reduction in number of general and sleeper class coaches

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 927 ANSWERED ON 06.02.2026 REDUCTION IN NUMBER OF GENERAL AND SLEEPER CLASS COACHES 927 SHRI ASHOK SINGH: Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state: (a) the specific number of General and Sleeper class coaches reduced across all zones in the last five years versus the number of AC and Vande Bharat coaches added; and (b) whether the Ministry acknowledges the stampede-like situations and inhuman travel conditions currently witnessed in non-AC coaches? ANSWER MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW) (a) and (b) Indian Railways (IR) have significantly increased the facilities for passengers demanding general/sleeper class travel. During the last financial year 2024-25 alone, 1250 general coaches have been utilised in various long-distance trains. In the current financial year (upto December, 2025), 767 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: Table 1: Distribution of coaches: Non-AC coaches (general and sleeper) ~57,200 ~70% AC coaches ~25,000 ~30% Total coaches ~82,200 100% Due to higher availability of general coaches, the number of passengers traveling in general/ unreserved coaches has shown an increasing trend as shown below: --/2--2- Table 2 : Passengers in general/unreserved coaches: Year Nos. of Passengers 2020-21 99 Cr (Covid year) 2021-22 275 Cr (Covid year) 2022-23 553 Cr 2023-24 609 Cr 2024-25 651 Cr The number of seats available for non-AC passengers has also increased. The current composition is as follows: Table 3: 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. 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. As on 31.01.2026, 54 services are already in operation. 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 and Luggage room. --/3--3- ● 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. 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. In its constant endeavour to provide additional accommodation to travelling passengers, during 2025-26 (up to December 2025) IR have introduced 245 trains services, extended 101 train services and frequency of 8 services have also been increased. 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. In addition to the above, the load of trains are also augmented, both on a permanent and temporary basis, to generate additional accommodation for different segments of passengers. Accordingly, during Year 2025-26 (till December 2025), approximately 65,000 special trains have been operated and 767 coaches have been utilized for augmentation of train services on a permanent basis. *****