Mumbai: The much-awaited Antyodaya Express is finally in Mumbai. The fully unreserved superfast train will run from next month in Central and Western Railway zones.
The train will provide passengers several amenities, such as drinking water, mobile charging points and cushioned seats.
According to the railway authorities, the Antyodaya Express will run between Lokmanya Tilak Terminus to Tatanagar in the Central Railway zone and from Bandra to Gorakhpur in the Western Railway zone.
The trains aim to cater to the common man. Announcing the trains in his budget speech for 2016-17, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu had said, “This government truly believes that the fate of India would not change unless the lives of [the] common man or woman improve. Not only he or she is the centre point of our policy making, but is ubiquitous in our public discourse and in our ideology.”
The 22-coach rake has been made by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, with each coach costing the Railways ₹2.5 crore. Usually, sleeper coaches for trains cost around ₹1.5 crore per coach.
The Antyodaya express will have cushioned luggage racks, which can also serve as seats, vestibule ends for movement of passengers, drinking water, mobile charging points, fire extinguishers with anti-theft locks, bio-toilets with occupation indicators like in aircraft, LED lights and many more amenities.
The fares for this train will be 10 to 15% higher than usual sleeper coach fares. “There has been huge demand for such trains from the passengers. The railways have maintained that manufacturing cost of these coaches with modern facilities is high, so there will be high fares as compared to other trains. The facilities provided in the Antyodaya express are similar to those in first-class coaches,” a Central Railway official said.
Railway authorities are also planning to introduce seven other trains, including two via Tamil Nadu.
Narendra Patil, Chief PRO, Central Railway, said, “The average speed of this train will be 55-60 kmph, while that of a regular passenger train is 30-40 kmph.”
