Indian Railways is gearing up to run a full train with just Economy AC-3 tier coaches, similar to the concept of the Humsafar Express. Economy AC 3 tier class of travel is the latest offering by railways, aimed at making air-conditioned travel more affordable for the common man. Fares of Economy AC 3 are 8% less than the regular AC-3 tier coaches. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently inspected the newly manufactured coaches and said that efforts should be made to run a full train consisting of AC-3 tier Economy coaches.
A railway official told TOI that once the necessary number of coaches are available, a train will be run on a trial basis to understand the demand and occupancy trends. The official said that any zone would need at least 16-18 coaches to run the train. One thought is to try and run a full Economy AC3 train in the ongoing festival season to gauge the response. The route for the train is yet to be decided.
