Economy AC 3-tier fare: Indian Railways has fixed the tariff for its new class of air-conditioned travel at 8% less than AC 3-tier. “The new class of travel will usher an era of affordable air-conditioned travel with premium features. The fares for Economy AC3 are 8% less compared to the existing AC 3 tier class,” Rajesh Dutt Bajpai, Executive Director (IP) at Ministry of Railways told TOI. “As production picks up these new coaches will be attached in various Mail/Express and Superfast trains,” he added.
The first Economy AC3 tier coach will be fitted in the special train 2403/04 Prayagraj-Jaipur Express under the North Central Railway and will start running from September, a source told TOI.
Economy AC 3-tier fare details:
According to a Ministry of Railways circular accessed by TOI, passengers opting for berths in the the new Economy AC 3 tier coaches will have to pay 2.4 times the base fare of the sleeper travel in Mail/Express trains. The base fare for up to 300 kilometres of travel will be Rs 440 and will go up as distance increases. The base fare for the maximum distance slab of 4951-5000 kms will be Rs 3065. While the base fare changes every few kilometres after the 300 km distance mark, below are some salient tariff details. Other charges such as reservation fee, superfast charge, GST as applicable for AC3 classes will be levied separately.
Normal Child fare rules will apply as applicable for the existing AC3 coaches in Mail/Express trains. The Concession/Free Complimentary passes shall be at par with the existing 3rd AC coach of Mail/Express trains. Normal cancellation and refund rules for the AC 3-tier class will be applicable here as well. Additionally, all other terms and conditions such as downgrading of AC 3-tier to CC class, bulk booking etc will be similar to the AC3 travel rules for Mail/Express trains.
ndian Railways had earlier this year unveiled its first Economy AC 3 tier coach – terming it the “most affordable in its class” air-conditioned train travel in the world. The Economy AC 3 tier coaches are being manufactured at RCF, ICF and MCF and over 800 of them will be rolled out in the current financial year. The new coaches have a speed potential of 160 kmph and have been tested by RDSO at 180 kmph.
Some of the key features of the new coaches are:
- 83 berths as against 72 berths in AC 3 tier
- 11 extra berths added by moving the main electrical controls below the coach
- Personalised aircraft-style AC vents with each berth
- Personalised reading lights
- Divyang-friendly toilet in each coach
- Modular bio-toilets with touch-free fittings
- Fire-proof berths with enhanced comforts
- Personalised socket for charging laptops/mobiles
- Modified ladders for climbing on to the middle and upper berth
- Snack table with side berth
AC 3 Economy coach interior
Indian Railways is increasingly looking to run trains at higher speeds up to 130 kmph, especially on the Golden Quadrilateral and its diagonals. Since travel in sleeper coaches is uncomfortable at speeds greater than 110 kmph, railways is looking to replace Sleeper coaches in some Mail/Express trains with Economy AC 3 tier.
