Lone Amrit Bharat rake earmarked for Southern Railway diverted to another zone
CHENNAI: After lying idle for nearly four months, the Amrit Bharat rake, a non-AC high speed train, originally earmarked for Southern Railway (SR) to be introduced in highly-congested routes has been assigned to another zone.
The rake which had been stationed in Chennai since February was moved out on Monday. Along with it, five more rakes are expected to be inaugurated soon in other zones outside SR jurisdiction.
If sources are to be believed, SR considered three potential routes for the introduction of the Amrit Bharat Express — Tirunelveli–Shalimar, Tambaram–Santragachi, and Coimbatore–Gaya. The service is aimed to cater the long-distance travellers, especially benefiting migrant workers by offering limited halts compared to regular express trains.
Currently, general class coaches on trains heading to Howrah, Guwahati, Gaya, and Patna operate with overcrowded passengers throughout the year. Similarly, regular express trains like the Howrah, Sanghamitra, and Coromandel expresses also record 150%-160% occupancy year-round.
SR officials said that the initial rake allocation following manufacturing is provisional and subject to change until a formal approval is granted by the Railway Board. 'If we miss out now, Southern Railway may receive another rake from the coach manufacturing unit anytime soon. Even if a rake is earmarked for the zone, it can only be put into service after Railway Board approval,' an official stated.
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