Western Railway's last non-AC double-decker coach train in Mumbai has retired after more than two decades of service.
As per the details, the service of the train was discontinued by Western Railway from January 4. According to Western Railway, the train ended its journey, serving as per its regular time till January 4, 2025. With this, an era of double-decker coach trains has ended in Indian Railways.
A statement from the Western Railways said that, from January 5, the same train will run with a traditional ICF rake of 22 coaches, which is still running elsewhere. An ICF train is expected to replace the old non-AC double-decker train. The purpose of this replacement is to provide convenience to the passengers of the existing double-decker train, which has been a special feature of Mumbai's train services.
On the last day of its run, the train ran with double-decker coaches for the last time from Mumbai Central Station on Saturday. Many railway employees were also present and the train was given a final farewell. According to a railway official, the new ICF rake will have the facility of upper berths along with seating space. It should also be noted that every double decker coach had seating space for 136 passengers. Including the corridors and the space near the doors of the train, a total of 250 to 260 people could sit in it. On the other hand, the ICF general coach will have 100 seats for sitting and 60 more seats will be available with the upper berths.
As per the train layout, the total seating capacity of ICF will be 160 people. If we count the people who travel standing, then it will reach 250. According to the officials, to ensure that there is no shortage of space, the Railways has planned to add four additional coaches. This will increase the number of coaches from 18 to 22.