The Indian Railway (IR) has presented its plan to refurbish 40,000 of its coaches in operation at the cost of Rs8,000 crore — Rs30 lakh each — to be rolled out by 2023. Under the proposal, IR also plans to refit the coaches with a coupler system that is expected to ensure better safety by preventing coaches from turning turtle in case of an accident.
A conventional passenger coach of the railways, we are told, costs over Rs1 crore to build. Considering such massive expenditure involved in building new coaches, IR’s plan to refurbish some of its stock is definitely welcome. The condition of many of the bogies in use today is pathetic.
Most of them, not only general and sleeper but also air-conditioned first and second class coaches in states like Orissa, are not only outdated in terms of passenger comfort but also lack cleanliness, hygiene and, above all, have absolutely zero safety and security. Railway modernisation is essential to make this mode of travel more comfortable for the masses who patronize the network to meet much of their travel needs.
At the same time, the railways also need to focus on production of new coaches that not only serve passenger needs but also perform better. Along with the proposal for refurbishing coaches, IR has also announced that they are coming out with 15,000 new coaches within the same time-frame to enhance its rolling stock.
Even while such efforts are being taken, though, the one factor that seems to be going unaddressed is whether modernization is happening in tune with the practical needs of passengers. Many measures the railways took had not really helped improve passenger comfort as was seen with the addition of a middle berth in the side seating.
The modernization of coaches should be aimed at improving comfort without making coaches cluttered and travelling in them a nightmare. It must be kept in mind that, most of the time, excessive number of passengers per bogie means less safety per person too. Coaches in the sleeper and general classes, for instance, need to be provided with proper ventilation systems considering that they are being used by a large number of people and they carry more than their prescribed capacity.
These coaches are growing increasingly uncomfortable for travel, particularly at night. Suitable air circulation needs to be provided so that the air quality within coaches does not suffer. There is also an urgent need to address space for carry-on baggage. Many passengers in India travel heavy with a huge quantity of luggage that takes up the entire space under berths and spills over into spaces between seats making journey uncomfortable for other co-passengers.
Such conditions are bound to be perennial and need to be addressed by providing exclusive space within carriages for safekeeping of luggage. Heavier luggage should also be charged extra at the entry points to stations to discourage travellers from carrying them. Modernisation of carriages should not ignore the practical necessities of people as it would then fail in its purpose of meeting the actual requirement of people.
Given the diversity of India, it would be better if the IR considered the needs of passengers in terms of regional differences and incorporated changes based on specific needs of travellers. We are aware, while saying this, that it is not an easy task to upgrade and provide localised comfort as the coaches do not stay fixed within prescribed geographical areas.
Also, it is very important to remember that the average Indian public travelling by IR is not a person interested to help the system improve nor stay efficient. Efforts should also be taken to ensure that the modernized coaches are provided to people across the country and not to specific regions alone. In fact, regions where passengers display better civic sense should be provided with better coaches as that will encourage other regions to also improve upkeep of the national carrier.
