Indian Railways: Economy AC 3-tier fares to be 8% less than regular AC fare

The base fare for up to 300 km will be ₹440 which is the lowest according to the distance, while the highest base fare is ₹3,065 for 4,951 to 5,000 km, report said.

As the Indian Railways is planning to introduce the special Economy AC 3-tier coached in September, the fare tariff has been fixed at 8% less than normal AC 3-tier, reports said. Since these special coaches are aimed at sleeper class passengers, the fare was a tricky issue as it has to be lower than normal AC 3-tier fare but higher than sleeper class fare. Reports said, the base fare for up to 300 km will be ₹440 which is the lowest according to the distance, while the highest base fare is ₹3,065 for 4,951 to 5,000 km.

Cheaper than AC 3-tier and better than sleeper, these new coaches are believed to be gamechanger for Indian Railways.

The first Economy AC 3 tier coach will be fitted in a special Prayagraj-Jaipur Express, reports said.

The air-conditioned three-tier economy coaches are being seen as a gamechanger as they will offer the best AC travel at the cheapest price, the railways claimed earlier. According to the railways' plan, around 806 new coaches are to be rolled out by this fiscal, either by this year or at the beginning of the next year. "By the end of 2021, or in 2022, we will 806 AC three-tier economy class coaches. All our coach factories will work simultaneously to manufacture these coaches. The Railways is getting future-ready and will ensure that all passengers get better travelling experience than ever before," a railway official earlier said.

The AC and the fare are not the best features of these coaches as the railways promised improved design, individual AC vents for each berth etc. The features of these special coaches include the modular design of seats, individual reading points, mobile charging points, more headroom for the upper and the middle berths.

But how will it be feasible for the railways? In the newly designed coaches, there is a 15 per cent increase in the numbet of berths than regular AC coaches as the railways has converted the side two berths into three berths.