A sneak peek into the Railways' most affordable class of AC travel

The Rail Coach Factory (RCF), Kapurthala rolled out 15 AC 3-tier economy class coaches that will be attached to various mail and express trains. The AC 3-tier economy is touted to be the Railways' most affordable class of air-conditioned travel. AC 3-tier economy class prototype was rolled out for oscillation trials from the RCF after conceiving the idea.(Image Credit: Twitter/@PiyushGoyal)

The Rail Coach Factory (RCF), Kapurthala rolled out 15 AC 3-tier economy class coaches that will be attached to various mail and express trains. RCF general manager Ravinder Gupta flagged off the rake on May 31.

The AC 3-tier economy is touted to be the Railways' most affordable class of air-conditioned travel. The prototype of the AC 3-tier economy class was rolled out from the RCF for oscillation trials on February 10, just three months after the idea was conceived, a statement from the coach factory said.

The design of the coach includes a redesigned AC duct to provide individual vents for each berth. The coach also has an improved and modular design of seats and berths, foldable snack tables in both longitudinal and transverse bays, injury-free spaces and holders for water bottles, mobile phones and magazines, the statement said.

Individual reading lights and mobile charging points are provided for each berth in addition to standard sockets, it said. The number of berths in the new coach has been increased from 72 to 83. The coach also has wider doors, making it convenient for specially-abled passengers, it said.

The RCF plans to manufacture 248 such coaches in the current and the next fiscal years.