As the Railway network straddles across State boundaries, trains are introduced across such boundaries as per network requirement.

To provide affordable means of transportation to the low and middle income families, Indian Railways have introduced Amrit Bharat services that are fully non-AC modern trains. The present  composition of Amrit Bharat consists of 11 General Class coaches, 8 Sleeper Class coaches, 01 Pantry car and 02 Luggage cum Divyangjan coaches.

High Speed and enhanced Safety standards are the hallmarks of these trains with following enhanced features and amenities:

i.          Better aesthetics of seat and berths with enhanced look & feel on the lines of Vande Bharat Sleeper.

ii.         Jerk Free Semi-Automatic Couplers.

iii.        Improved Crashworthiness in coaches by provision of crash tube.

iv.        Provision of CCTV system in all coaches and Luggage room.

v.         Improved designs of toilets.

vi.        Improved design of Ladder for ease of climbing on to the berth.

vii.       Improved LED Light fitting & Charging Sockets.

viii.      Provision of EP assisted braking system.

ix.        Aerosol based fire suppression system in toilets and electrical cubicles.

x.         USB Type-A and Type-C mobile charging sockets.

xi.        Emergency Talk Back system for two-way communication between Passenger and Guard/Train Manager.

xii.       Non-AC pantry with enhanced heating capacity.

xiii.   Fully sealed gangways with quick release mechanism for easy attachment and detachment.

 As on 05.03.2026, the following 54 Amrit Bharat Express services are being operated on the Indian Railways network:

SN	Train No. and Name
1	11015/11016 Lokmanya Tilak (T) - Saharsa Amrit Bharat Express
2	13697/13698 Gaya - Delhi Amrit Bharat Express
3	15293/15294 Muzaffarpur - Charlapalli Amrit Bharat Express
4	15557/15558 Darbhanga - Anand Vihar (T) Amrit Bharat Express
5	15561/15562 Darbhanga - Gomtinagar Amrit Bharat Express
6	15567/15568 Bapudham Motihari - Anand Vihar (T) Amrit Bharat Express
7	22361/22362 Rajendranagar (T) - New Delhi Amrit Bharat Express
8	13433/13434 SMVT Bengaluru - Malda Town Amrit Bharat Express
9	13435/13436 Malda Town - Gomtinagar Amrit Bharat Express

 

10	15133/15134 Chhapra - Anand Vihar (T) Amrit Bharat Express
11	14047/14048 Sitamarhi - Delhi Amrit Bharat Express
12	14627/14628 Saharsa - Chheharta Amrit Bharat Express
13	19623/19624 Madar - Darbhanga Amrit Bharat Express
14	16601/16602 Erode - Jogbani Amrit Bharat Express
15	19021/19022 Udhna - Brahmapur Amrit Bharat Express
16	15671/15672 Kamakhya - Rohtak Amrit Bharat Express
17	20609/20610 New Jalpaiguri - Tiruchchirappalli Amrit Bharat Express
18	16597/16598 SMVT Bengaluru - Alipurduar Amrit Bharat Express
19	11031/11032 Panvel - Alipurduar Amrit Bharat Express
20	16107/16108 Tambaram - Santragachi Amrit Bharat Express
21	13065/13066 Howrah - Anand Vihar (T) Amrit Bharat Express
22	22587/22588 Sealdah - Banaras Amrit Bharat Express
23	20603/20604 New Jalpaiguri - Nagercoil Amrit Bharat Express
24	15949/15950 Dibrugarh - Gomti Nagar Amrit Bharat Express
25	16121/16122 Tambaram - Thiruvananthapuram Central Amrit Bharat Express
26	16329/16330 Nagercoil - Mangaluru Amrit Bharat Express
27	17041/17042 Charlapalli - Thiruvananthapuram North Amrit Bharat Express

 

The following Amrit Bharat trains are catering to the stations located in the State of Uttar Pradesh:

SN	Train No. and Name
1	15557/15558  Darbhanga-Anand Vihar (T) Amrit Bharat Express
2	11015/11016 Lokmanya Tilak (T)-Saharsa Jn Amrit Bharat Express

 

3	15561/15562 Darbhanga-Gomati Nagar Amrit Bharat Express
4	15567/15568 Bapudham Motihari-Anand Vihar (T) Amrit Bharat Express
5	22361/22362 Rajendra Nagar (T)-New Delhi Amrit Bharat Express
6	13435/13436 Malda Town-Gomati Nagar Amrit Bharat Express
7	14047/14048 Sitamarhi-Delhi Amrit Bharat Express
8	13697/13698 Gaya-Delhi Amrit Bharat Express
9	14627/14628 Saharsa-Chheharta Amrit Bharat Express
10	16601/16602 Erode-Jogbani Amrit Bharat Express
11	15293/15294 Muzaffarpur-Charlapalli Amrit Bharat Express
12	15133/15134 Chhapra-Anand Vihar (T) Amrit Bharat Express
13	19623/19624 Madar-Darbhanga Amrit Bharat Express
14	11031/11032 Panvel-Alipurduar Amrit Bharat Express
15	15671/15672 Kamakhya-Rohtak Amrit Bharat Express
16	15949/15950 Dibrugarh-Gomtinagar Amrit Bharat Express
17	22587/22588 Sealdah-Banaras Amrit Bharat Express
18	13065/13066 Howrah- Anand Vihar (T)  Amrit Bharat Express

 

The following Amrit Bharat trains are catering to the stations located in the State of Andhra Pradesh:

SN	Train No. and Name
1	13433/13435 SMVT Bengaluru-Malda Town Amrit Bharat Express
2	16601/16602 Erode-Jogbani Amrit Bharat Express
3	19021/19022 Udhna-Brahmapur Amrit Bharat Express

 

4	16107/16108 Tambaram-Santragachi  Amrit Bharat Express
5	20603/20604 New Jalpaiguri-Nagercoil Amrit Bharat Express
6	20609/20610 New Jalpaiguri-Tiruchirappalli Amrit Bharat Express
7	16597/16598 SMVT Bengaluru-Alipurduar Amrit Bharat Express
8	17041/17042 Hyderabad-Thiruvananthapuram North Amrit Bharat Express

 

Besides, introduction of new train services, including Vande Bharat sleeper services, is an on-going process, depends on various factors which include-

·   Capacity of that section

·   Availability of path

·   Availability of required rolling stock

·   Availability of matching infrastructure for rolling stock

·   Maintenance requirement of railway tracks and other assets.

·   Occupancy and the traffic requirement of the section

Occupancy:

On Indian Railways, the occupancy pattern of trains is not uniform throughout the year and it varies over lean and peak periods. During peak rush periods, the occupancy of the trains especially on popular routes remains full whereas during lean period and on less popular routes, there is sub optimal utilization. However, for the Period 2023-24 to 2025-26 (Upto Jan-26) the overall average occupancy of Amrit Bharat Express trains in Sleeper Class has been above 100%.

General Coaches

With a view to meet the demand of passengers travelling in unreserved coaches, Railways have significantly increased the facilities for passengers demanding general class travel. During the last financial year 2024-25 alone, 1250 general coaches have been utilised in various long-distance trains. In the current financial year (upto February, 2026), 860 Coaches have been utilised for permanent augmentation.

To cater to the travel demand of the low and middle income families, Indian Railways have taken up manufacturing of 17,000 non-AC coaches (general/sleeper).

Indian Railways constantly endeavour to cater to the travelling needs of all sections of society by providing various types of coaches which includes both Non AC and AC coaches.

On IR, the percentage of Non-AC coaches is about 70%, as indicated below: 

Table 1: Distribution of coaches:

Non-AC coaches (general and sleeper)	`~62,000	~70%
AC coaches	~27,000	~30%
Total coaches	~89,000	100%

 

Due to higher availability of general coaches, the number of passengers traveling in general/ unreserved coaches has shown an increasing trend as shown below:

Table 2: Passengers in general/unreserved coaches:

Year	No. of Passengers
2020-21	99 Cr (Covid year)
2021-22	275 Cr (Covid year)
2022-23	553 Cr
2023-24	609 Cr
2024-25	651 Cr

The number of seats available for non-AC passengers has also increased. The current composition is as follows:

 

       Table 3: Distribution of seats:

Non-AC seats	~ 54 lakhs	~ 78%
AC seats	~ 15 lakhs	~ 22%
Total	~ 69 lakhs	100%

 

Further, to cater to the needs of passengers desirous of availing unreserved accommodation, Indian Railways (IR) operate unreserved non-AC passenger trains/ MEMU / EMU etc. for affordable travel, which are in addition to the unreserved accommodation (coaches) available in Mail/Express services.

Special Trains:

IR also operates Special train services during festivals, holidays, etc. to cater to the extra needs of passengers and supplement the accommodation available by regular services.

Accordingly, the number of Special trains operated across the Indian Railways network, to facilitate the passengers during Summer/winter vacations, festivals like Holi, Durga Puja, Diwali, Chhath, Christmas, Sabrimala, Id-ul-fitr etc.  are as below:

Year	No.  of trips
2023-24	~40,500
2024-25	~85,400
2025-26(upto Jan, 2026)	~70,300

 

To provide greater accommodation for the passengers using General and non-AC Sleeper Coaches, the extant policy regarding composition of Mail/Express trains provides for 12 (Twelve) General class & Sleeper class non- AC coaches and 08 (eight) AC-Coaches, in a train of 22 coaches, thereby providing greater accommodation for the passengers using General and non-AC Sleeper Coaches.

Maintenance of Coaches:

Further, regular actions are taken to ensure and improve maintenance standards and cleanliness of coaches, which are as follows:

·    Maintenance of coaches is carried at coaching depots/terminals in line with laid down detailed guidelines and prescribed standards.

·   Mechanized Coach Cleaning is being ensured during maintenance for better cleaning of the coach including interior, exterior and toilets.

·   On-Board Housekeeping Staff Service is being provided to ensure cleanliness on run and Clean Train Station services are also provided for en-route attention.

·   Regular monitoring is done through inspections by nominated officials in divisions/depots & workshops etc across Zonal Railways.

·        Regular training of staff is also undertaken to ensure safety and comfort of passengers.

Sanitation in the General coaches:

Cleanliness is an ongoing process, and Indian Railways make continuous efforts to keep trains well-maintained and clean. Cleaning of coaches including general coaches is done at both ends including mechanised cleaning. Toilets are cleaned frequently and there is a well established redressal mechanism for addressing cleanliness issues during the run of the train. Provision of Clean Train Station (CTS) has been done for limited mechanized cleaning attention to identified trains. All trains have been fitted with bio-toilets which help in maintaining cleanliness in trains as well as at tracks/stations. Regular inspections are conducted for monitoring cleanliness.

This information was provided by the Union Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting and Electronics & Information Technology, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, in a reply to questions in Lok Sabha today.

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Dharmendra Tewari/ Manik Sharma

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