Indian Railways coaching stock

The rail coaches were manufactured in India from 1956 when the Integral coach factory was established. The coaches based on a prototype by a Swiss company and were termed as ICF coaches. These coaches, manufactured from 1955 to 2018, were largely in use till the early 2010s. The ICF coaches were replaced by newer LHB coaches designed by Linke-Hofmann-Busch of Germany. In the 1960s, Electric multiple units (EMU) were developed for short-haul and local routes. In 2018, ICF rolled-out a semi-high speed train-set designed to be equipped with fully air-conditioned coaches with modern facilities and capable of reaching speeds of over . In the late 2010s, Indian railways started upgrading the coaches of select trains from LHB to new Tejas coaches with enhanced features. == Coaching stock ==

The Indian Railways offers various travel classes on its coaches, various freight wagons, apart from specialized and dedicated coaching stock for other uses. As of 2022, Indian Railways rolling stock consisted of 318,196 freight wagons and 84,863 passenger coaches. The coaches are manufactured by the following units: == Passenger ==

First AC (1A) First AC coaches are the most luxurious and expensive class in most express trains. They have separate compartments with private lockable doors. The compartments are air-conditioned and are lined along one side with the walkway along the other side of the aisle. The first-class compartments can have cabins (two sets of berths facing each other) or coupes (single set of berths) with bedding. There are five cabins and three coupes with a total capacity of 26 passengers. Passengers are allowed a luggage allowance of 150 kg per person. First class is still in use in toy trains where the coaches consist of seats similar to chair cars. Executive Anubhuti (EA) Executive Anubhuti is the premium class of chair car and is equipped with retractable seats in 2x2 configuration. The coaches are air-conditioned and have a capacity to seat 56 passengers. The seats have dedicated LED reading lights, power sockets and call buttons. The coaches are equipped with modular bio toilets with automated taps, hand driers and soap dispensers. AC Executive Class (EC) AC Executive Class is often the top most class of chair car in express trains. It is equipped with retractable seats in 2x2 configuration. The coaches have large, cushioned seats with leg and armrests equipped with tray tables. The seats have dedicated LED reading lights and power sockets. The coaches are equipped with modular bio toilets with automated taps, hand driers and soap dispensers. Meals are often provided as a part of the journey ticket. Second AC or AC 2-tier (2A) Second AC or AC 2-tier is an air-conditioned sleeping car with wide sealed windows. A simple bedding with blankets and a pillow is provided. Food is available on order or as a part of the ticket depending on the train. AC First Class cum AC 2-tier (HA) AC First Class cum AC 2 Tier is a hybrid configuration coach consisting of combination of two classes in a single coach. There are ten seats of AC first class consisting of two cabins of four berths and a coupe of two berths along with 20 berths of AC 2-tier. Chair car (CC) AC chair car or chair car are air-conditioned coaches equipped with retractable seats and sealed windows. There are five seats in each row in 3x2 configuration with a total capacity of 73 to 78 passengers per coach. ;Double-decker Double Decker coaches have similar seats to a chair car but have seats on two levels with the decks accessible via staircases inside each coach. These coaches are taller than normal coaches at and can seat up to 120 passengers per coach. These coaches are run on dedicated double decker trains. ;AC Tourist car AC Tourist cars have vistadome coaches with glass roofs and extra wide windows. The interiors are similar to AC chair car coaches. Select trains operating mostly on tourist circuits are equipped with such coaches. Indian Railways plans to introduce these coaches in all mountain railways. Sleeper (SL) Sleeper class is the most common sleeping car coach in Indian Railways. Sub-urban and local Suburban rail systems use Electric multiple unit (EMU) and Diesel electric multiple unit (DEMU) train-sets which have a set of motor coaches powering the train-set interspersed with passenger coaches. The motor coaches have a reduced seating capacity than normal coaches. The coaches have large entry and exit on both sides with multiple sets of seats arranged in various configurations. MEMU trains which are used for short-distance inter-city routes also have a similar configuration. Each train-set may have one or two first class coaches with better seats. These coaches are generally non-air conditioned while there are air-conditioned coaches used in select routes. Special and luxury Apart from general trains, Indian railways operates luxury trains such as Maharajas' Express, Deccan Odyssey and other special tourist trains with varied classes. These may include standard coaches, regular coaches with modifications and specially designed coaches with coupes, dedicated cabins and suites. Saloon coaches are also available for chartering which are equipped with a bedroom and kitchen and can be attached to normal trains. Special coaches can also be attached to normal trains in case of special circumstances. Classification Coach numbering The coaching stock have unique five or six digit identifiers. Till 2018, the first two digits indicating the year of manufacture and the last three digits indicating the class. In 2018, the numbering system was changed with the first two digits indicating the year of manufacture and the last four digits indicating the sequence number. Seat classification The berths and seats are numbered by an alphanumeric code with the letter(s) identifying the berth/seat type and numbers identifying the position. In standard coaches, the berths and seats are classified as follows: ;Berth • LB = Lower berth • MB = Middle berth • UB = Upper berth • SL = Side lower berth • SM = Side middle berth • SU = Side upper berth ;Seat • WS = Window side • M = Middle • A = Aisle Middle and Aisle seats are not mentioned in the train ticket. Only Window Side (WS) seats are mentioned in the ticket. == Cargo ==

Indian Railways operates more than 4000 cargo and goods trains daily. These include covered wagons, boxcars, flat wagons, flatbeds, open wagons, hoppers, containers, automobile carriers, defense vehicle carriers and tankers. The freight cars can often carry loads from 10 to 80 tonnes per car depending on the configuration. == Others ==

Apart from standard passenger classes, the Indian Railways has other specialized coach types used for dedicated functions. They may carry medical equipment like first aid box, body bags, stretchers, fire extinguishers and other rescue devices such as hydraulic equipment, air bags, slings and ropes, cutting tools, power generators and communication equipment. ;Brake van A Brake van is a wagon equipped with a hand brake which can be applied by the guard. The brake vans are attached to trains as the last coach and consists of an open room or cabin for the guard. The van is equipped with some emergency equipment, lighting box, signalling equipment and monitoring gauges. The brake vans are often combined with small parcel vans or generator cars. ;Generator car Power generator cars contain power generation equipment, often diesel generators which are used to power the equipment on the trains. There are one or two power cars attached to the trains. With electrification of railway lines, Indian railways is equipping train with head on generation (HOG), where power will be drawn from overhead lines and will eliminate the need of separate power generator cars. ;Inspection carriage Railway inspection cars are diesel powered self-propelled vehicles meant for collecting information on railway tracks for analysis and to generate plans accordingly. ;Military car Special cars are made for the purpose of Indian Armed Forces, both passenger and others. A military ward car is used as make-shift hospitals to carry wounded soldiers and are equipped with medical equipment. Crane cars and other cargo wagons are used for specific purposes by the Indian military. Some of the trains are equipped with dining facilities as part of it. While pantry cars are separate cars attached with the rake, there are certain coaches which are equipped with mini pantry for serving meals to the passengers. ;Parcel van Parcel vans are used to carry mail, parcels and other cargo. These may be dedicated parcel vans or luggage cars combined with other functions which might be attached to passenger trains. These coaches have foldable luggage racks and collapsible partitions with sliding doors. ==See also==