Rail Budget to focus on passenger amenities

New Delhi: Keeping passenger amenities and comfort as its top priorities, railways have proposed a new design coach with improved furnishings and house keeping scheme in coaches in the Rail Budget 2014-15. 

The national transporter is also proposing to introduce intensive mechanised cleaning of coaches, clean train station scheme and comprehensive pest and rodent control treatment as part of measures to provide a comfortable journey to passengers. As part of the housekeeping scheme, there will be attendants in each coach to address problems related to hygiene like maintaining clean toilets and keeping coaches spick-and-span. 

Railways are also proposing to upgrade interior furnishing of coaches. "About 12 coaches will be manufactured with new interior furnishings as a pilot project," railway sources said.  In the current year, it is proposed to roll out one train with 25 AC and non-AC coaches with improved furnishing. 

While it is estimated to cost about Rs 38 lakh for furnishing an AC coach, the non-AC coach furnishing will cost about Rs 23 lakh. Professional agencies will be roped in to  review the colour scheme in coaches. 

Railways had proposed to manufacture a new design coach  'Anubhuti' with improved look and facilities in the last rail Budget. The first Anubhuti coach was supposed to be part of  Chandigarh Shatabdi.

However, it did not find much favour with the last government.  Keeping the increasing demand for more trains, railways have set a target for manufacturing about 4000 coaches including 700 LHB coaches in the current fiscal.  As the Railway Minister Sadananda Gowda has emphasised on safety, security and passenger amenities, railways is expected to unveil a series of steps in this direction.