Lok Sabha Question No. 3103 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-11
Subject: Amrit Bharat (Push-Pull) Trains
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Dr. D. Purandeswari, Shri Atul Garg

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## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3103 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.03.2026

## AMRIT BHARAT (PUSH-PULL) TRAINS

3103. SHRI ATUL GARG:

DR. D. PURANDESWARI:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) the total number of Amrit Bharat (push-pull) trains introduced from the railway stations  of  Uttar  Pradesh  and  Andhra  Pradesh  to  major industrial hubs like Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru as on January, 2026;
- (b) the details of the occupancy rates of the unreserved and sleeper class coaches in these trains during the peak migration seasons;
- (c)  whether  the  Government  has  conducted  any  study  to  assess  the demand-supply gap for general class travel from Uttar Pradesh particularly  Ghaziabad  and  Seemanchal  regions  and  Andhra  Pradesh particularly Rajahmundry and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) the details of the measures taken to prevent overcrowding and ensure the availability of drinking water and sanitation in the general coaches of long-distance trains originating from Uttar Pradesh; and
- (e)  the  details  of  the  timeline  for  the  introduction  of  more  non-AC  Amrit Bharat  services  to  cater  to  the  economically  weaker  sections  of  the said States?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND

ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a) to (e) As the Railway network straddles across State boundaries, trains are introduced across such boundaries as per network requirement.

To  provide  affordable  means  of  transportation  to  the  low  and  middle income  families,  Indian  Railways  have  introduced  Amrit  Bharat  services that  are  fully  non-AC  modern  trains.  The  present   composition  of  Amrit Bharat consists of 11 General Class coaches, 8 Sleeper Class coaches, 01 Pantry car and 02 Luggage cum Divyangjan coaches.

High  Speed  and  enhanced  Safety  standards  are  the  hallmarks  of  these trains with following enhanced features and amenities:

- i. Better aesthetics of seat and berths with enhanced look & feel on the lines of Vande Bharat Sleeper.
- ii. Jerk Free Semi-Automatic Couplers.
- iii. Improved Crashworthiness in coaches by provision of crash tube.
- iv. Provision of CCTV system in all coaches and Luggage room.
- v. Improved designs of toilets.
- vi. Improved design of Ladder for ease of climbing on to the berth.
- vii. Improved LED Light fitting & Charging Sockets.
- viii. Provision of EP assisted braking system.
- ix. Aerosol  based  fire  suppression  system  in  toilets and  electrical cubicles.
- x. USB Type-A and Type-C mobile charging sockets.
- xi. Emergency  Talk  Back  system  for  two-way  communication  between Passenger and Guard/Train Manager.
- xii. Non-AC pantry with enhanced heating capacity.
- xiii. Fully  sealed  gangways  with  quick  release  mechanism  for  easy attachment and detachment.

## As on 05.03.2026, the following 54 Amrit Bharat Express services are being operated on the Indian Railways network:

|   SN | Train No. and Name                                                   |
|------|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
|    1 | 11015/11016 Lokmanya Tilak (T) - Saharsa Amrit Bharat Express        |
|    2 | 13697/13698 Gaya - Delhi Amrit Bharat Express                        |
|    3 | 15293/15294 Muzaffarpur - Charlapalli Amrit Bharat Express           |
|    4 | 15557/15558 Darbhanga - Anand Vihar (T) Amrit Bharat Express         |
|    5 | 15561/15562 Darbhanga - Gomtinagar Amrit Bharat Express              |
|    6 | 15567/15568 Bapudham Motihari - Anand Vihar (T) Amrit Bharat Express |
|    7 | 22361/22362 Rajendranagar (T) - New Delhi Amrit Bharat Express       |
|    8 | 13433/13434 SMVT Bengaluru - Malda Town Amrit Bharat Express         |
|    9 | 13435/13436 Malda Town - Gomtinagar Amrit Bharat Express             |

|   10 | 15133/15134 Chhapra - Anand Vihar (T) Amrit Bharat Express              |
|------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|   11 | 14047/14048 Sitamarhi - Delhi Amrit Bharat Express                      |
|   12 | 14627/14628 Saharsa - Chheharta Amrit Bharat Express                    |
|   13 | 19623/19624 Madar - Darbhanga Amrit Bharat Express                      |
|   14 | 16601/16602 Erode - Jogbani Amrit Bharat Express                        |
|   15 | 19021/19022 Udhna - Brahmapur Amrit Bharat Express                      |
|   16 | 15671/15672 Kamakhya - Rohtak Amrit Bharat Express                      |
|   17 | 20609/20610 New Jalpaiguri - Tiruchchirappalli Amrit Bharat Express     |
|   18 | 16597/16598 SMVT Bengaluru - Alipurduar Amrit Bharat Express            |
|   19 | 11031/11032 Panvel - Alipurduar Amrit Bharat Express                    |
|   20 | 16107/16108 Tambaram - Santragachi Amrit Bharat Express                 |
|   21 | 13065/13066 Howrah - Anand Vihar (T) Amrit Bharat Express               |
|   22 | 22587/22588 Sealdah - Banaras Amrit Bharat Express                      |
|   23 | 20603/20604 New Jalpaiguri - Nagercoil Amrit Bharat Express             |
|   24 | 15949/15950 Dibrugarh - Gomti Nagar Amrit Bharat Express                |
|   25 | 16121/16122 Tambaram - Thiruvananthapuram Central Amrit Bharat Express  |
|   26 | 16329/16330 Nagercoil - Mangaluru Amrit Bharat Express                  |
|   27 | 17041/17042 Charlapalli - Thiruvananthapuram North Amrit Bharat Express |

The following Amrit Bharat trains are catering to the stations located in the State of Uttar Pradesh:

|   SN | Train No. and Name                                             |
|------|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|    1 | 15557/15558 Darbhanga-Anand Vihar (T) Amrit Bharat Express     |
|    2 | 11015/11016 Lokmanya Tilak (T)-Saharsa Jn Amrit Bharat Express |

|   3 | 15561/15562 Darbhanga-Gomati Nagar Amrit Bharat Express            |
|-----|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
|   4 | 15567/15568 Bapudham Motihari-Anand Vihar (T) Amrit Bharat Express |
|   5 | 22361/22362 Rajendra Nagar (T)-New Delhi Amrit Bharat Express      |
|   6 | 13435/13436 Malda Town-Gomati Nagar Amrit Bharat Express           |
|   7 | 14047/14048 Sitamarhi-Delhi Amrit Bharat Express                   |
|   8 | 13697/13698 Gaya-Delhi Amrit Bharat Express                        |
|   9 | 14627/14628 Saharsa-Chheharta Amrit Bharat Express                 |
|  10 | 16601/16602 Erode-Jogbani Amrit Bharat Express                     |
|  11 | 15293/15294 Muzaffarpur-Charlapalli Amrit Bharat Express           |
|  12 | 15133/15134 Chhapra-Anand Vihar (T) Amrit Bharat Express           |
|  13 | 19623/19624 Madar-Darbhanga Amrit Bharat Express                   |
|  14 | 11031/11032 Panvel-Alipurduar Amrit Bharat Express                 |
|  15 | 15671/15672 Kamakhya-Rohtak Amrit Bharat Express                   |
|  16 | 15949/15950 Dibrugarh-Gomtinagar Amrit Bharat Express              |
|  17 | 22587/22588 Sealdah-Banaras Amrit Bharat Express                   |
|  18 | 13065/13066 Howrah- Anand Vihar (T) Amrit Bharat Express           |

The following Amrit Bharat trains are catering to the stations located in the State of Andhra Pradesh:

|   SN | Train No. and Name                                         |
|------|------------------------------------------------------------|
|    1 | 13433/13435 SMVT Bengaluru-Malda Town Amrit Bharat Express |
|    2 | 16601/16602 Erode-Jogbani Amrit Bharat Express             |
|    3 | 19021/19022 Udhna-Brahmapur Amrit Bharat Express           |

|   4 | 16107/16108 Tambaram-Santragachi Amrit Bharat Express               |
|-----|---------------------------------------------------------------------|
|   5 | 20603/20604 New Jalpaiguri-Nagercoil Amrit Bharat Express           |
|   6 | 20609/20610 New Jalpaiguri-Tiruchirappalli Amrit Bharat Express     |
|   7 | 16597/16598 SMVT Bengaluru-Alipurduar Amrit Bharat Express          |
|   8 | 17041/17042 Hyderabad-Thiruvananthapuram North Amrit Bharat Express |

Besides, introduction of new train services, including Vande Bharat sleeper services, is an on-going process, depends on various factors which include-

-  Capacity of that section
-  Availability of path
-  Availability of required rolling stock
-  Availability of matching infrastructure for rolling stock
-  Maintenance requirement of railway tracks and other assets.
-  Occupancy and the traffic requirement of the section

## Occupancy:

On  Indian  Railways,  the  occupancy  pattern  of  trains  is  not  uniform throughout the year and it varies over lean and peak periods. During peak rush  periods,  the  occupancy  of  the  trains  especially  on  popular  routes remains full whereas during lean period and on less popular routes, there is sub optimal utilization.  However, for the Period 2023-24 to  2025-26 (Upto Jan-26)  the  overall  average  occupancy  of  Amrit  Bharat  Express  trains  in Sleeper Class has been above 100%.

## General Coaches

With  a  view  to  meet  the  demand  of  passengers  travelling  in  unreserved coaches, Railways have significantly increased the facilities for passengers demanding  general  class  travel.  During  the  last  financial  year  2024-25 alone,  1250  general  coaches  have  been  utilised  in  various  long-distance trains.  In  the  current  financial  year  (upto  February,  2026),  860  Coaches have been utilised for permanent augmentation.

To cater to the travel demand of the low and middle income families, Indian Railways have taken up manufacturing of 17,000 non-AC coaches (general/sleeper).

Indian Railways constantly endeavour to cater to the travelling needs of all sections of society by providing various types of coaches which includes both Non AC and AC coaches.

On IR, the percentage of Non-AC coaches is about 70%, as indicated below:

Table 1: Distribution of coaches:

| Non-AC coaches (general and sleeper)   | `~62,000   | ~70%   |
|----------------------------------------|------------|--------|
| AC coaches                             | ~27,000    | ~30%   |
| Total coaches                          | ~89,000    | 100%   |

Due  to  higher  availability  of  general  coaches,  the  number  of  passengers traveling in general/ unreserved coaches has shown an increasing trend as shown below:

Table 2: Passengers in general/unreserved coaches:

| Year    | No. of Passengers   |
|---------|---------------------|
| 2020-21 | 99 Cr (Covid year)  |
| 2021-22 | 275 Cr (Covid year) |
| 2022-23 | 553 Cr              |
| 2023-24 | 609 Cr              |
| 2024-25 | 651 Cr              |

The number of seats available for non-AC passengers has also increased. The current composition is as follows:

Table 3: Distribution of seats:

| Non-AC seats   | ~ 54 lakhs   | ~ 78%   |
|----------------|--------------|---------|
| AC seats       | ~ 15 lakhs   | ~ 22%   |
| Total          | ~ 69 lakhs   | 100%    |

Further, to cater to the needs of passengers desirous of availing unreserved accommodation, Indian Railways (IR) operate unreserved non-AC passenger trains/ MEMU / EMU etc. for affordable travel, which are in addition to the unreserved accommodation (coaches) available in Mail/Express services.

Special Trains:

IR  also  operates  Special  train  services  during  festivals,  holidays,  etc.  to cater to the extra needs of passengers and supplement the accommodation available by regular services.

Accordingly,  the  number  of  Special  trains  operated  across  the  Indian Railways  network,  to  facilitate  the  passengers  during  Summer/winter vacations, festivals like  Holi,  Durga  Puja,  Diwali,  Chhath,  Christmas, Sabrimala, Id-ul-fitr etc.  are as below:

| Year                    | No. of trips   |
|-------------------------|----------------|
| 2023-24                 | ~40,500        |
| 2024-25                 | ~85,400        |
| 2025-26(upto Jan, 2026) | ~70,300        |

To provide greater accommodation for the passengers using General and non-AC  Sleeper  Coaches,  the  extant  policy  regarding  composition  of Mail/Express trains provides for 12 (Twelve) General class & Sleeper class non-  AC  coaches  and  08  (eight)  AC-Coaches,  in  a  train  of  22  coaches, thereby providing greater accommodation for the passengers using General and non-AC Sleeper Coaches.

## Maintenance of Coaches:

Further,  regular  actions  are  taken  to  ensure  and  improve  maintenance standards and cleanliness of coaches, which are as follows:

-  Maintenance  of  coaches  is  carried  at  coaching  depots/terminals  in line with laid down detailed guidelines and prescribed standards.
-  Mechanized Coach Cleaning is being ensured during maintenance for better cleaning of the coach including interior, exterior and toilets.
-  On-Board  Housekeeping  Staff  Service  is  being  provided  to  ensure cleanliness on run and Clean Train Station services are also provided for en-route attention.
-  Regular monitoring is done through inspections by nominated officials in divisions/depots & workshops etc across Zonal Railways.
-  Regular  training  of  staff  is  also  undertaken  to  ensure  safety  and comfort of passengers.

## Sanitation in the General coaches:

Cleanliness is an ongoing process, and Indian Railways make continuous efforts  to  keep  trains  well-maintained  and  clean.  Cleaning  of  coaches including  general  coaches  is  done  at  both  ends  including  mechanised cleaning.  Toilets  are  cleaned  frequently  and  there  is  a  well  established redressal mechanism for addressing cleanliness issues during the run of the train. Provision of Clean Train Station (CTS) has been done for limited mechanized  cleaning  attention  to  identified  trains.  All  trains  have  been fitted with bio-toilets which help in maintaining cleanliness in trains as well as  at  tracks/stations.  Regular  inspections  are  conducted  for  monitoring cleanliness.

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