Indian Railways, in order to provide more comfort to the economy class passengers has rolled out AC 3-tier economy class coaches which are going to be “economically” in between the current AC 3-tier and non AC sleeper class coaches.

The LHB(Linke Hofman Busch) coaches were rolled out from the Rail Coach Factory (RCF) in Kapurthala to Research Design and Standards Organisation in Lucknow for the trial. The idea of this LHB coach came from RCF and the work on the design began in October 2020.

The berths in this coach have been increased from 72 to 83 to accommodate more passengers. Each coach has a wider toilet with one disabled-friendly toilet door. The high voltage electric switch gear on the board has been shifted under the frame.

The AC duct has been redesigned to provide AC vent to each berth. The coach now has improved and modular designs of berths, foldable snack tables, injury free spaces and has holders for water bottles, mobiles and magazines. Each berth has its own mobile charging points and reading lights. Headroom for each berth has also been increased.

There is ease of access into the coach and the interior has luminiscent aisle markers, illuminated berth indicator integrals. The fire safety has been improved ensuring compliance to world benchmark of EN45545-2 HL3 for materials thus meeting high requirements.

The series of production will begin in February itself and will enhance the capacity of express trains in India.