Date:26/05/2006 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/05/26/stories/2006052601930500.htm

Back Trains to have wheelchair coaches by this fiscal-end

Mamuni Das

Garib Rath to be first to have AC coach for disabled

Special train Rlys hopes to have one such coach in all mail, express trains by March 2007. The service will be introduced in 4 trains initially. Hopes to have first train ready by early October.

New Delhi , May 25

Railways plan to introduce specially designed non-AC wheelchair coaches for all mail and express trains by the end of this fiscal.

It is also contemplating issue of reserved tickets for such coaches against the current practise of issuing unreserved tickets only. Moreover, Railways plans to introduce the first air-conditioned coach for the disabled in its Garib Rath (low cost AC-train).

Features

The special coaches for wheelchair users are designed to ensure mobility for passengers so that they can move and rotate their wheelchairs within the coaches as well as within the toilets. They have wider bays, berths and doors as compared to normal coaches and have two berths. Passengers can lock their wheel chairs next to their berths.

Such coaches also have an upper berth for passengers' attendants, apart from having the train guard to help in emergency.

"At present, majority of trains have such coaches, but they are not equally distributed across trains. We aim to have one such coach in all the mail and express trains by March 31, 2007," said sources. IR has 1150-1200 such coaches now. Rail Coach Factory (RCF) would manufacture another 325 during the year.

Firming up design

On the Garib Rath front, Railways has finalised the design for the first train, while it is yet to firm up its plan for three other trains. IR had announced that it would start four such trains initially.

The first train would have 18 coaches - 12 with sleeping accommodation, four with sitting accommodation, and two with special facilities for passengers on wheelchairs, guard, generators and Railway cabin crew.

Integral Coach Factory (ICF) Perambur would manufacture four coaches with sitting arrangements and RCF the rest. Sleeper coaches would have 74 berths, whereas there would be 102 seats in sitting coaches. "We hope the first train to be ready for early October so that it can be inducted by month-end," said sources.

The Railway Minister, Mr Lalu Prasad, is likely to visit RCF, Kapurthala to oversee plans this Sunday.

A second design, under consideration, for Garib Rath contemplates increasing the coach height so that sleeper coaches can have 80-81 berths. However, implementing this design would take longer as it requires safety clearance. If Railways decides to adopt the second design for three trains, it may not be possible to induct them during 2006.