The railways is planning to run trains for low-income groups like migrant workers and labourers across the country as part of its regular timetable. These will be non-air conditioned, general category trains while the name has not been decided.
The decision was taken after a study identified states where low-income groups formed a substantial part of the travelling passengers and where tickets were waitlisted for long periods. Also, many passengers have flagged the issue of overcrowding in passenger trains on social media citing the need for such trains.
Such special trains are usually run during festival time or in summer when there is a rush due to the holiday season.
The new trains are likely to start running from January 2024, a senior Railway Board official told PTI. These trains are being planned for Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, West Bengal, Punjab, Assam, Gujarat, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh. "The migrant special trains will have a minimum of 22 to a maximum of 26 coaches. These will be run permanently throughout the year instead of seasonally," an official told PTI.
These trains will also be included in the regular timetable, enabling passengers to make reservations in advance. "Trains will be run for these people in which only sleeper-general class coaches will be engaged," the official added.
With inputs from PTI
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