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Indian Railways Boosts Affordable Travel with Record Non-AC Coach Production

Indian Railways has achieved a record production of modern General and non-AC coaches to meet rising demand with affordable fares. The railway operated over 43,000 special train trips in 2025 to manage seasonal and festive rush periods effectively. It is developing passenger holding areas at 76 stations and has strengthened ticketing integrity by deactivating millions of suspicious IRCTC accounts. Concurrently, passenger safety has improved significantly, with train accidents declining sharply and safety investments nearly tripling.

Key Points: Railways Record Coach Production for Affordable Travel

  • Record production of modern non-AC coaches
  • Over 43,000 special train trips in 2025
  • 76 stations to get new passenger holding areas
  • 5.73 crore suspicious IRCTC accounts deactivated
  • Train accidents sharply decline to 11 in 2025-26
4 min read

Indian Railways strengthens affordable travel for common passengers with record production of Modern General, Non-AC coaches

Indian Railways sets record for modern non-AC coach production, adds special trains, and enhances ticketing security for common passengers.

"strengthening its passenger-first approach, prioritising everyday travellers - Indian Railways"

New Delhi, January 7

Indian Railways is modernising its infrastructure and services with a strong focus on the needs of common passengers, aiming to make train travel more convenient, comfortable, safe and affordable. Through sustained investment, operational reforms, and technology adoption, Indian Railways is strengthening its passenger-first approach, prioritising everyday travellers.

Indian Railways has achieved record production of General and non-AC coaches equipped with modern passenger-friendly facilities to accommodate rising demand at affordable fares.

These coaches enhance travel comfort while significantly increasing carrying capacity, reinforcing Indian Railways' commitment to inclusive and accessible rail travel.

Building on this base, Indian Railways has an ongoing coach production programme for the current and the next financial year to further strengthen and modernise its passenger fleet. For the ongoing financial year 2025-26, which is already in its final quarter, the production plan provides for 4,838 new LHB GS and Non-AC coaches (LS coaches: 2,817; LSCN coaches: 2,021).

For 2026-27, the production target is 4,802 LHB coaches (LS coaches: 2,638; LSCN coaches: 2,164). This planned production is aimed at meeting rising passenger demand while enhancing safety, comfort and the overall quality of train services.

To manage the seasonal and festive rush, Indian Railways significantly scaled up special train operations in 2025. A record over 43,000 special train trips were operated, including 17,340 for Maha Kumbh, 1,144 for Holi, 12,417 Summer Specials and 12,383 for Chhath Puja, ensuring smoother passenger movement and improved travel convenience during peak periods. These large-scale operations helped ease congestion, ensured smoother passenger movement and provided timely connectivity during periods of exceptionally high demand.

Indian Railways has identified 76 stations nationwide for the development of passenger holding areas, following the successful implementation of the Yatri Suvidha Kendra at New Delhi Railway Station. The New Delhi holding area, completed in four months, can accommodate about 7,000 passengers and is equipped with toilets, ticketing facilities, automatic ticket vending machines and free RO drinking water. The new holding areas will follow modular designs based on local conditions and are targeted for completion before the 2026 festival season.

To ensure genuine passengers receive confirmed tickets, Indian Railways has strengthened ticketing integrity through Aadhaar verification and advanced monitoring systems. Aadhaar verification for users is an important step taken to make the system more robust.

Only Aadhaar-verified users are allowed to book Tatkal tickets. Cutting-edge technology is also used to identify and prevent unscrupulous users from misusing the e-ticketing system. As a result, 5.73 crore suspicious and inactive IRCTC user accounts have been deactivated or temporarily suspended, with further action ongoing.

Passenger safety remains a top priority, with 84 per cent of funds allocated for safety-related works already utilised under the Gross Budgetary Support (GBS) outlays for 2025-26. Consequential train accidents have declined sharply, from 135 in 2014-15 to 31 in 2024-25, and further to 11 in 2025-26 (as of November 2025), compared with an average of 171 per year during 2004-14. The safety budget has nearly tripled to Rs 1,16,470 crore in the current financial year. Fog safety devices have increased from 90 in 2014 to 25,939 in 2025.

Introduction of Amrit Bharat and Namo Bharat Trains to improve Non-AC and Regional Rail Connectivity

Amrit Bharat Express trains, fully non-AC services with Sleeper and General Class coaches, are providing high-quality travel at affordable fares. In 2025, 13 Amrit Bharat trains were introduced, bringing the total number of operational services to 30. In addition, two Namo Bharat Rapid Rail services are operational between Bhuj-Ahmedabad and Jaynagar-Patna, strengthening high-frequency regional connectivity.

Presently, 30 Amrit Bharat train services are operational on the Indian Railways network.

Indian Railways is strengthening its focus on common passengers by increasing affordable non-AC capacity, running special trains to manage rush and improving station facilities. Strong action against illegal ticketing, major safety investments and with the introduction of non-AC Amrit Bharat trains & improved regional connectivity, Indian Railways is steadily building a modern, inclusive and passenger-first transport system focused on everyday travellers.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Good to see the focus on safety and ticketing integrity. Deactivating fake IRCTC accounts is a strong step. But I hope the new coaches also mean cleaner toilets and better maintenance on long routes. The plan looks promising!
S
Suresh O
Record production is fine, but what about the existing trains? The general compartments are often overcrowded and poorly maintained. First improve the condition of current services, then talk about new ones. Action on the ground matters more than numbers on paper.
A
Ananya R
The passenger holding areas at stations are a brilliant idea, especially before festivals. Delhi's model should be replicated everywhere. Free drinking water and toilets will make a huge difference for families traveling with children. Good work!
M
Michael C
Visiting India last year, I was impressed by the railway network's scale. The safety statistics showing a drastic reduction in accidents are commendable. Investing in fog safety devices is a smart, practical move for such a vast country.
K
Kavya N
Special trains during Kumbh and Chhath Puja are very helpful. But the real test is last-minute ticket availability. Hope the Aadhaar verification for Tatkal stops the touts finally. Fingers crossed! 🤞

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