Trains will be introduced by the Indian Railways for lower-income populations, primarily manual labourers. According to a senior government official, “These are not special trains; rather, they are permanent trains that are intended to help the labour class passengers travel easily.” The official continued, “The service is anticipated to begin operations next year.”
The Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) coaches on the trains will offer both sleeper and general class services, according to officials. The spokesman confirmed, “These trains will not have any air conditioning whatsoever.”
According to a second official, the national transporter had carried out research to determine the routes that carried passengers from the lower socioeconomic classes. Additionally, an increase in the number of passengers on the waiting list was observed. According to this study, trains in Bihar, Chattisgarh, Guwahati, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Assam have been chosen to offer more services to passengers who fall into the lowest income bracket.
The second official stated, “The Indian Railways has started the work on introducing these unique services for which they have added around 20,000km of new lines in the last nine months. The national transporter has not yet given them a name.
“Most of the unskilled workers, artisans, labourers, job seekers travel to metros and other big cities from various states. Currently, these passengers travel in general coaches attached to Mail/ Express trains that are loaded with double, if not less, number of passengers. Introduction of these trains will only provide convenience to them,” a railway board official said. “The ticket costs would remain the same. However, a decision in this regard is yet to be made,” the official added.
These migrant special trains will have 22 to 26 coaches and will be included in the regular time table, allowing passengers to be able to make advance reservations.
It has also been decided to have only two types of coaches (out of the total 28 types) in the network in the next five to seven years. “The railways will have only LHB and Vande Bharat coaches in the coming five years. The phasing out of the Integrated Coach Factory (ICF) will be done within the next three years,” the official said, adding that the other coaches will be phased out at the end of their life or will be converted for other use.
