AC double-decker coaches on the track

 
With the Railways planning to introduce high-capacity/low-fare AC coaches in the next  one year, the middleclass could stop fretting about extra bucks for availing the comfort.
Stepping closer to implementing it, the Railways is ready with double-decker coaches capable of carrying 70 per cent more passengers than the conventional ones.

 The coaches are likely to be introduced in Yuva and Shatabdi trains by the end of this year.  “We will run these coaches across the country in different trains and, during this period, will seek passenger feedback for subsequent modification,” a Railway Ministry official said. The air-conditioned coaches manufactured at the Kapurthala Rail Coach Factory (RCF) will be used for oscillation trials on the Delhi- Muradabad section.

The RCF will start manufacturing the double-decker coaches after the successful completion of trials. 

Promised in Budget 2010 by Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee, these coaches will not only cater to the heavy rush of commuters in high-density corridors, but also reduce the cost of AC travel.

A totally new coach shell design capable of running at a speed of 160 kmph was developed by RCF engineers in tandem with Research Design and Standard Organisation within a span of nine months.

In the new design, 128 passengers can be seated as compared to 78 passengers in Shatabdi chair cars, thus increasing the capacity by almost 70 per cent. The overall height of double-decker coaches has been increased marginally (four and a half inches) keeping in view the constraints like overhead structures, bridges, electric traction equipment and platforms so that these coaches can be used without modifying any of the fixed structures except for clearing some minor infringements.