Railways finalise Garib Rath design

The railways have finalised the length and the coach design for Garib Rath, India's first fully air-conditioned train for the poor.

According to sources, the train would be a mix of sleeper coaches and chair cars. There would be 22 coaches, of which about six would be chair cars and the rest sleepers.

While designing the new coaches, the capacity per coach in both sections has been increased. Normally, a chair car has 76 seats, but in the Garib Rath this could be increased to 108. Similarly, the number of berths would be increased from the present average of 64 to around 82.

Officials say if they run a full-capacity air-conditioned train, they would be able to under-cut low-cost airlines. "For a 1,400-km journey, the cost would be about Rs 750 to Rs 50 per berth and Rs 500-Rs 600 in chair car. Thus our costs will be once again be a quarter of the fares offered by low-cost airlines."

The toilets in the Garib Rath will be hi-tech with waste water tank, which will discharge water only when the train is moving above 30 kmph.